Bordeaux vintages: The best of the 1960s & 1970s

In the summer and autumn of 1945, the vineyards of Bordeaux spoke, against fascism and the Nazi regime, giving the Bordelais something to cheer about and the rest of the free world an iconic vintage by which to remember the end of World War II. What was to follow in the next decade and a half, in this most lauded of regions, was nothing short of remarkable.

Some would argue that between 1945 and 1959 there were as many as six harvests that, in any other period, would be contenders for top of their respective decade. It was as if nature was cutting Bordeaux producers some slack for what had been an unimaginably difficult time for so many.

If it is true to say that, in some way, Bordeaux vintages reflect the mood of the times, then the two decades that followed certainly had this in abundance. The absolute highs and unbelievable lows of the technicolour 1960s, then the ‘thousand tones of brown’ that epitomised the decade that domesticated the microwave oven.

The ’60s produced the best and worst of Bordeaux. The decade started badly, which is a perfect segue as to why, contrary to form, this guide features two decades, rather than one.

When discussing wines of this age, there’s little point diving into 100 synonyms of ‘past its best’, along with the odd ‘you shouldn’t have bought it in the first place’; so, while there are still drinkable examples of 1960, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1977 and 1979 wines to be found, none of those vintages will be covered here.