1971: a vintage all too soon forgotten

Bordeaux 1971: a good vintage in small quantities

The year began with a bitterly cold January (-8°), followed by a very wet February with temperatures barely above 0°. March followed suit, peaking at -10°, before reaching milder temperatures at the end of the month. Budding began on March 30 and continued with rapid growth in April and May, when temperatures reached summer levels. Unfortunately, record rainfall in June meant that tractors had to stay in the garage for 4 months, unable to pass between the vines. Fortunately, all that changed at the beginning of July, with temperatures hovering around 30° all summer long. September ended with a deluge that severely disrupted the harvest and reduced yields.

In the end, quantities were 40% down on the previous year. However, the quality was there for all to see. The wines of this vintage are extremely fine, with excellent ageing potential. The quality is very good, the wines are elegant and powerful.

Burgundy 1971, when the hail gets in the way

The weather was generally favorable. Flowering was difficult, with violent storms throughout August. All this, combined with the phenomenon of coulure (when, during flowering, the pollen runs off due to rain, thus preventing proper fertilization of the flowers in the bunch), meant that 1971 had all the makings of a catastrophic year. Fortunately, however, this was not the case, and the result was a respectable vintage (albeit disparaged at first). Beautiful, ripe and concentrated grapes produced excellent quality, generous, rigorous and well-balanced wines, ideal for ageing.

Vallée du Rhône 1971, warmth as a guarantee of quality

Conditions were very good this year, with the exception of a few episodes of hail in June which had no effect on the harvest, and the very hot summer brought a quality vintage.

Hermitage and Côte Rôtie stand out for their robustness and ageing potential.

There are also some excellent Châteauneuf du Pape wines, such as Chateau Rayas 1971, Clos Saint Jean 1971 and Château De Beaucastel 1971…

Champagne 1971, the climatic Beresina

4600 hectares of the region’s 30,000 hectares could not be harvested due to disastrous weather conditions (heavy frosts in April, hail in May and also in late July and mid-August). Despite this, and thanks to an idyllic September, the grapes that survived were magnificent.

The big houses, taking advantage of the parcels spared by the weather, produced a very good vintage, unlike many independents, dependent on the vagaries of the climate. The result was an excellent vintage, with wines that were elegant, slender, full of finesse and refreshing. Their heyday is now past, but the greatest houses can still be enjoyable.

Our favorites from the 1971 vintage

PETRUS 1971

Rated 20/20 by Jancis Robinson

“This rich, fresh monster was fabulous. My only criticism is that by serving it as the twelfth wine in a dinner party, we didn’t have the pleasure of tasting it when our taste buds were at their freshest. It had the life, sap and flavor that the 1975, glorious as it was, lacked. I think this wine could go on and on. Certainly the best 1971 known to wine-drinking man? Or woman.”

Tasting July 2014

See the 1971 Pétrus on our website

CHÂTEAU HAUT BRION 1971

Rated 4/5 by Michael Broadbent

Tasting January 1999

See Château Haut Brion 1971 on our website

CHÂTEAU MAGDELAINE 1971

Rated 96/100 by Robert Parker

“The Magdelaine ’71 is one of the best performing wines I’ve come across in recent years. It has a beautifully sculpted bouquet with scents of currant and cranberry, freshly plowed earth, wild hedge and a hint of black truffle that was incredibly youthful considering its age. Very elegant, a wonderful marriage of intensity and restraint. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine, silky tannins of immense purity, a Saint Emilion that shimmers on the precise, daisy-fresh finish. This is one of those wines that prompted me to rethink the estate’s potential.”

Tasting February 2011

See Château Magdelaine 1971 on our website