Wine 1965

In Bordeaux, the cool, wet spring delayed flowering, resulting in poor pollination. This was followed by a cool summer with heavy rainfall and a particularly rainy September. The latter is often crucial for the full ripening of the berries. Cabernet and Merlot therefore did not benefit from the temperatures needed to reach optimal ripeness. The wines are consequently not very concentrated: the reds are fairly light, with insufficiently integrated tannins, while the whites lack aromatic concentration. 

The climate was also very difficult in Burgundy. Ripeness was therefore incomplete for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. As a result, the red wines did not display their usual full aromatic range and had excessive acidity, as did the white wines, whose aromas were rather underdeveloped. 

Champagne also experienced the same conditions as the rest of the French vineyard. A cold spring, cool and wet summer, rainy autumn… Few houses produced vintage Champagne; the base wines were low in aroma, so Champagne producers were able to rely on their reserve wines for blending. 

The Rhône was not spared the unfavorable weather conditions of 1965 either. In the Northern Rhône Valley, Syrah suffered from the 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… White wines based on Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier suffered from this climate and produced wines lacking balance due to excessive acidity. 

Loire, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Alsace were no exception to the rule: the same conditions clearly affected a large part of the vineyard area and hindered the full ripening of grape varieties in these terroirs. 

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

A few great names, such as Latour in Bordeaux, nevertheless succeeded in producing great wines… Today, the 1965 vintage remains a symbol and can make a meaningful gift for a very specific occasion, although enthusiasts will prefer the 1966 vintage, which, one year after a challenging vintage, proved to be a truly great year with ideal weather conditions!