Wine 1965

In Bordeaux, the cool and wet spring delayed flowering, which led to poor pollination. This was followed by a cool summer with significant rainfall and a very rainy September. The latter is often crucial for the full ripening of the berries. As a result, the Cabernets and Merlots did not benefit from the temperatures needed to reach their optimal ripeness. The wines are therefore not very concentrated, the reds are rather light with insufficiently integrated tannins, and the whites lack aromatic concentration. 

The climate was also very difficult in Bourgogne. Ripeness was thus incomplete for the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The red wines therefore lack their usual aromatic range and have excessive acidity, as do the white wines, which have rather underdeveloped aromas. 

Champagne also experienced the same conditions as the rest of the French vineyard. Cold spring, cool and wet summer, rainy autumn… Few houses produced vintage Champagne, the base wines were low in aromas and therefore the Champagne producers were able to rely on their reserve wines to carry out assemblages. 

The Rhône was also not spared by the unfavourable climatic conditions of 1965. In the Northern Rhône Valley, the Syrahs suffered from a lack of warmth, producing rather lean wines… In the Southern Rhône Valley, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah also struggled to reach optimal ripeness: the wines are less concentrated than usual, with rather diluted aromas… The whites based on Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier suffered from this climate and produced wines that lack balance due to excessive acidity. 

Loire, Languedoc Roussillon and Alsace are no exception to the rule: the same conditions have decidedly affected a large part of the wine-growing areas and have hindered the full ripening of the grape varieties in these terroirs. 

1965 is therefore a vintage better known for its failures than for its successes. 

A few great names such as Latour in Bordeaux nonetheless managed to produce great wines… The 1965 vintage remains today a symbol and can thus make a meaningful gift for a specific occasion, even if enthusiasts will prefer the 1966 vintage, which, one year after a difficult vintage, proves to be a truly great vintage with ideal climatic conditions!