Wine 1950

1950 Vintage: Pomerol and Sauternes Stand Out

The 1950 vintage produced a large harvest, following a fine, dry summer and rain late in the harvest. This contrasting weather widened the differences between terroirs and defines the year: on one hand, Bordeaux’s Right Bank at its best; on the other, Sauternes sweet wines saved by the late-season weather, while rain-diluted Médoc yielded softer reds. It is a vintage to choose by region and terroir as much as by the name on the label.

Pomerol and Saint-Émilion 1950 — the Right Bank at its best

This is the Right Bank’s moment of glory. Pomerol’s clay-and-gravel plateau was harvested before rain diluted the grapes, yielding wines of rare concentration and richness for the mid-20th century. The style is deep, dense, and velvety, with aging potential matched by few postwar vintages. Saint-Émilion enjoyed similarly favorable conditions, thanks to its best terroirs. This is clearly the vintage’s quality heartland.

Pomerol produced a series of benchmark bottles: Lafleur, often cited as the wine of the year, and the impressively rich Pétrus lead the way, followed by Trotanoy, Latour à Pomerol, L’Église-Clinet, and Vieux Château Certan. Nearby, Château La Fleur-Pétrus adds to the plateau’s collective success. In Saint-Émilion, the best estates made complete wines, led by a brilliant Cheval Blanc.

Aging potential: the best Pomerol and Saint-Émilion wines are at their peak, sometimes surprisingly youthful; check the fill level and provenance before opening.

Médoc and Graves 1950 — supple reds ready to drink

On the Left Bank, the year was less favorable. September rains hit the Médoc during the harvest, diluting part of the crop. The resulting wines were medium-bodied, supple, and more approachable, without the density or structure of truly great years. Today, their appeal lies more in their classic character and tertiary aromas than in power, and there is no need to wait any longer to enjoy them.

A few producers stand out nonetheless, beginning with Château Latour in Pauillac, whose exceptional terroir limited dilution. In Graves, Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion show the consistency of their terroirs in a challenging year, producing reds with more character than the vintage average.

Aging potential: open sooner rather than later; favor bottles with high fill levels and savor their classic character rather than expecting further aging.

Sauternes and Barsac 1950 — sweet wines saved by the late-season weather

Sauternes saw a wet end to the season before an Indian summer saved the harvest. These conditions encouraged botrytis, the “noble rot” that concentrates the grapes and gives sweet wines their richness. The result: rich wines balanced by fine acidity, forming Bordeaux’s second pillar of the vintage. It was a clear success, often underestimated beside the brilliance of the Right Bank, and a reliable way to explore the vintage.

The leading names in Sauternes all made the most of the late-season weather, with Château d’Yquem setting the standard alongside Suduiraut and Climens. The same profile appears in Château Coutet in Barsac, with more tension and floral notes. To explore the appellation’s finest terroirs, the classified growths of Sauternes remain the best guide.

Aging potential: the great sweet wines of 1950 are still holding up remarkably well; served chilled, they are as well suited to the table as to a collector’s cellar.

Burgundy 1950 — a large harvest that calls for careful selection

In Burgundy, 1950 was above all a large harvest. Abundance came at the expense of concentration, and many Côte reds remained light and diluted, without the substance needed for long aging. This is a year to select producer by producer rather than by appellation, as the best-made wines have stood up better over time. Overall, whites from the most reputable estates fared better than the reds.

In a vintage like this, the winemaker’s skill makes all the difference, and only the most carefully made wines have stood the test of time with distinction. It is best to rely on leading producers and bottles with impeccable histories. To explore the finest terroirs, browse our Burgundy crus.

Aging potential: reserve your choice for the most reputable producers and impeccable bottles; open for the finesse of a very old wine rather than for power.

Port 1950 — the “lady’s vintage” and the colheitas

In Portugal, 1950 went down in port history as the “lady’s vintage,” a year of delicate, subtle wines. Only some houses declared a vintage, producing ports marked more by finesse than power, now mellowed and softened by time. Alongside these vintage ports, the year shines above all for its colheitas: a colheita is a single-year port aged for a long time in cask before bottling, giving it immediate roundness and complexity.

That is precisely what makes it the most approachable and reliable way into the vintage: while a very old Bordeaux calls for caution, a 1950 colheita can be enjoyed with confidence, offering notes of dried fruit, caramel, and gentle spice. The vintage ports declared that year round out the selection for lovers of bottles with a story to tell. Explore all our ports to continue the discovery.

Aging potential: these ports are already mellow and ready to drink; the long cask-aged colheita is the safest and most approachable choice from the vintage.

Choosing a 1950 Wine on SoDivin

Choosing a 1950 wine means looking to the Bordeaux Right Bank at its finest and Sauternes sweet wines that have stood the test of time, alongside a softer Médoc that is a pleasure to drink and rounded ports ready to enjoy. Every bottle is assessed and inspected, with its fill level, label, and provenance checked to help ensure a tasting worthy of a great old vintage. To compare years and refine your choice, consult the SoDivin Vintage Guide.