The 1959 vintage

All of France is enjoying very good weather for this 1959 vintage. The year is the hottest and driest of the last ten years. The maturation of the grapes is all the better.

Bordeaux

The 1959 vintage is the first vintage that is correct in terms of quality and quantity since 1956 and its frost. The wines from the left bank are doing better than those from the right bank. The wines are ample and generous. They are still excellent today. Supple, full-bodied, opulent, tannic, the wines are very rich. The greatest vintages still express the richness of the perfumes, the power and harmony of the flavors as well as a very great finesse. In white, the wines are solid but lack a little acidity. Let us note all the same a great irregularity in the vintage. In fact, the Château Margaux 1959 is a nice wine while the Château Lafite Rothschild 1959 is remarkable thanks to the gravel of its terroir which allows the vine to resist the great summer heat.

This year, Yquem launched its very successful dry wine “Y d’Yquem”.

Bourgogne

The summer is very hot, the September rains are more than beneficial. In red, the wines are rich, full, colorful, fruity and balanced. They are very good for keeping. The grapes are concentrated and well-swollen which leads to tasty wines which well preserved offer a beautiful tasting, even today. In white, the vintage is more uneven. The chardonnay is sometimes full, concentrated, with demonstrative aromas yet perhaps close to overripe, without great character. To taste very good ones, you have to take very high like Montrachet or Corton Charlemagne. The year is compared to 1983 and 1989.

Champagne

The whole region is unanimous: excellent maturity, high yield, exceptional climatic conditions. In the industry, we speak of wines that are “very full-bodied, supple, powerful, structured, vinous, fruity and aromatic, with a very long aging potential”.

Vallée du Rhône

Very good wines in the region with a long aging potential. The climatic conditions are good, the grapes are ripe with high levels of sugar and alcohol. The wines are powerful, concentrated and well-constructed. They are of excellent quality which opens up to a aging potential of several decades.

Loire

The weather conditions are perfect. The sweet wines are exceptional, combining structure, matter and elegance. The reds are also noteworthy, with an explosive nose of truffle, cherry and chocolate.

Our selection

Château d’Yquem 1959

Dom Pérignon Oenotheque 1959