Anniversary Vintage : 1964, 1974, 1984, 1994, 2004...

Wine of 1964

Discover the wines of 1964 for the perfect gift for a 60th birthday! 

Our view on the 1964 vintage

The 1964 vintage in Bordeaux is better for the red wines from the Right Bank (1964 Pomerol and 1964 Saint Emilion) and in the Graves (1964 Pessac Leognan)  than in the Medoc. In fact, the early October rains spoiled the harvest for the Cabernet Sauvignon (except for the Graves that were harvested just before). The Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which ripen earlier, escaped the rains and were able to give very good aging wines which are to be sought after. The white 1964 Graves wines and the sweet wines of 1964 Sauternes are less reputable. In Burgundy, 1964 was an excellent year, offering great richly made red wines with great ageing potential. For the 1964 white Burgundy wines, the vintage was beneficial for the sectors of Meursault and Puligny Montrachet, but their fairly low acidity does not guarantee their aging potential. In Chablis, a thunderstorm destroyed a good part of the 1964 harvest. In Champagne, the 1964 vintage is very famous and certain producers like Laurent Perrier call it a great vintage. In the Rhone Valley, 1964 was a dry year and produced good wines, but in very small quantities (notably at Chateauneuf du Pape). In Alsace, the 1964 vintage is excellent, and it is still possible to really enjoy yourself with a Gewurztraminer from 1964. The Loire Valley produced a very good 1964 vintage in red, and the designations Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur Champigny have often produces very sought-after bottles.

So, for a 60th birthday, don't hesitate to buy a 1964 wine! 

Wine of 1974 

Discover 1974 wines for the perfect gift for a 50th birthday! 

Our view on the 1974 vintage

The year 1974 produced fairly weak white Bordeaux and red Bordeaux wines : the harvest was huge but the grapes were diluted from the September rains. However, the red Graves wines (1974 Mission Haut Brion and 1974 Domaine de Chevalier) are successful, and 1974 Chateau Latour in Pauillac or 1974 Trotanoy in Pomerol have also produced very good wines. In Burgundy, the harvests were hampered by an unfavourable weather and in the 2 colours, the wines are rather weak and acidic (some owners have even decided not to bottle their 1974 vintage). The 1974 Rhone wines are rather weak in the Northern part and a little more structured in the Southern (Chateauneuf du Pape). No region was truly privileged in 1974.

Which 1974 wine to buy? Our 1974 best buying advices

Advice for buying a 1974 wine: Pessac Leognan in Bordeaux (Mission Haut Brion, Domaine de Chevalier) or Latour (Pauillac) and Trotanoy (Pomerol) , or even a 1974 Clos Joliette (Jurançon).

For a 50th birthday, don't hesitate to buy a 1974 wine! 

Wine of 1984

Discover the wines of 1984 for the perfect gift for a 40th birthday! 

Our view on the 1984 vintage

A small vintage for Bordeaux wines which produced fairly austere, tannic and acidic 1984 red Bordeaux wines. 2 events explain this: a disturbed flowering in May (coulure for the Merlot) and a cyclone (Hortense) which hit the Bordeaux vineyard at the end of September, pouring its rains and winds, and carrying away the last hopes for a very great vintage especially for Merlot wines (the wines from the Right Bank such as Saint Emilion and Pomerol). The harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon which had resist better happened then, but the red wines, although of great ageing potential (like the 1984 Grands Crus wines), turned out to be fairly acidic, austere and tannic (the merlot missing to round them up). Then cellaring will help them to open up. Some properties on the Right Bank downgraded their production, and even Chateau Petrus produced only 20% of its usual harvest. In Sauternes, 1984 produced some elegant sweet Bordeaux wines, but the vintage will not be remembered. The 1984 Burgundy wines were no more spared: the difficult flowering, the August storms, the cold and the September rains having led to millerandage (fruit set issue) and strong chaptalization of the wines, making them unusual. As for Champagne, the wines of the Rhone Valley, the Loire wines or wines of Alsace, the 1984 vintage is of rather average.

Which 1984 wine to buy? Our 1984 best buying advices

If you’d like to buy a wine of 1984 (ready to drink wine and to offer as a 1984 vintage anniversary) , know that the 1984 Bordeaux, are intensely coloured (Cabernet Sauvignon) but that the weakness of the Merlot gives them a tight profile, missing a little of the undeniable charm with which the great mature Bordeaux wines are endowed. In the other regions, the 1984 vintage is considered to be quite weak.

So, for a 40th birthday, don't hesitate to buy a 1984 wine! 

Wine of 1994 

Discover the wines of 1994 for the perfect gift for a 30th birthday! 

Our view on the 1994 vintage

Once again, the rains in September cooled down the ambitions of Bordeaux wine lovers for Bordeauxwines in 1994. The well drained areas of Graves  and the area on the Right Bank of Bordeaux produced good wines (thanks to Merlot). For the red wines with ah high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (those of the left bank), there was an enormous amount of grapes sorting (30 to 50% of the harvest), and a lighter fining / filtration to conserve fruit and aromas, as tannins abounded. Many wines are then successful in 1994 Bordeaux red wine as in Bordeaux white wine, and the best wines of the vintage are often located in Pomerol or Saint Emilion. For 1994 Bordeaux white wines, the Pessac Leognan sector is again in the spotlight, and 1994 Haut Brion is an exceptional wine! Decent vintage (but far from famous) for the 1994 white wines of Sauternes. In 1994 Burgundy because of the September rains, the vintage is average in both colours. The reds are sometimes marked by a few default aromas resulting from an imperfect grape health condition (lack of sorting) ; the wines however prove to be better in the sectors of Vosne Romanee and Nuits Saint Georges in the Cote de Nuits. Some 1994 Grands Crus white wines from the Cote de Beaune can however provide pleasant surprises (honey notes), but must be drunk without delay. The 1994 Champagne suffered because pinot noir experienced real difficulties ripening. The Northern part of the Rhone Valley was favoured compared to the Southern Rhone, and the 1994 Hermitage sector produced very fine wines, both red and white. The 1994 vintage is average in Loire, but has great successes in Alsace especially for sweet wines, such as Late harvest and Selections of Grains Nobles.

Which 1994 wine to buy? Our 1994 best buying advices

If you are a lover of Bordeaux wines, you can succumb to the charms of the following wines: 1994 Leoville Las Cases for Saint Julien or 1994 Chateau Angelus for Saint Emilion. 1994 Troplong Mondot, 1994 Tertre Roteboeuf and 1994 Valandraud will also be very significant. In Pomerol: 1994 La Conseillante, 1994 Chateau Clinet, 1994 Evangile, 1994 Gazin, or 1994 La Fleur de Gay. In the white wines of Bordeaux, 1994 Haut Brion and 1994 Laville Haut Brion are spectacular successes. As for Burgundy, the best wines of 1994 can still seduce (Vosne Romanee, Nuits St Georges), but they will have to be drunk quickly. In the Northern Rhone Valley, you will have to look for the 1994 Hermitage red and white from Chave for instance, and a few 1994 Selections de Grains Nobles from Alsace can delight you as dessert wines.

So, for a 30th birthday, don't hesitate to buy a 1994 wine! 

Wine of 2004

Discover the wines of 2004 for the perfect gift for a 20th birthday! 

Our view on the 2004 vintage

The 2004 vintage in Bordeaux has been marked by the freshness and humidity (gray and rainy weather in August) fortunately saved by a beautiful month of September. The red Bordeaux wines of 2004 are therefore classic and of good quality. The best red wines from the Medoc and Saint Emilion Grand Crus Classes present a fleshy body, silky tannins and a certain concentration. If the 2004 vintage is now ready to drink, it is better to focus on the 2004 Premiers crus Classes and Second Crus Classes (Margaux designation for example) or the first grand Cru Classes of Saint Emilion. The 2004 Bordeaux dry white wines and the 2004 sweet wines in Bordeaux are good wines, but not as impressive as the 2001 and 2003. In 2004 Burgundy, the vintage suffered from the same climatic conditions and the bottles of 2004 Burgundy white wine will be better than the bottles of 2004 red wine. Herbal tastes are sometimes present in red Burgundy, and the wines should not be cellared for too long. The white Burgundy wines are successful, in a floral, fresh and balanced style. In Champagne, 2004 is a good and abundant vintage. Chardonnay is the grape variety that seems to have given the best results that year. The 2004 Rhone wines are balanced and lighter. 2004 Cornas and 2004 Hermitage will be on call, while the 2004 Cote Rotie appears to be less dense. In white Rhone wine, the 2004 Hermitage and 2004 Crozes Hermitage are above the rest. In the Southern Rhone Valley, 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape produces good bottles of wine (more classic than 2003 but to be kept). Good 2004 vintage in Alsace, however the sweet wines have been spoiled by the October rains and have been produced in smaller quantities. The Loire Valley was affected by a very humid summer in 2004, which considerably limited the successes, rather located in Chinon and Saumur Champigny for the 2004 reds. The 2004 sweet white wines from Loire are weaker.   

Which 2004 wine to buy? Our 2004 best buying advices

In Bordeaux, the 2004 vintage being located between 2 rare and expensive vintages (2003 and 2005), good deals are possible if you choose the best Crus Classes of 2004: 2004 Cos Estournel, 2004 Montrose, 2004 Lafite Rothschild, 2004 Latour, 2004 Ducru Beaucaillou. Nice group shot in theMargaux designation : 2004 Giscours, 2004 Lascombes, 2004 Chateau Margaux, 2004 Palmer. In Pessac Leognan : 2004 Domaine de Chevalier, 2004 Haut Bailly, 2004 Haut Brion and 2004 Pape Clement (in white). In Pomerol and St Emilion: 2004 Eglise Clinet, 2004 Lafleur, 2004 Petrus, 2004 Le Pin, 2004 Angelus, 2004 Ausone, 2004 Pavie, 2004 Pavie Macquin. In Sauternes, 2004 Fargues and 2004 Climens are successful. In Burgundy a 2004 red Corton from Comte Armand, or in white wine a magnificent 2004 Puligny Montrachet 1ercru Perrieres (or Folatieres) from Etienne Sauzet. In Champagne, a 2004 Taittinger Comte de Champagne. In the Rhone Valley, a Cornas from Auguste Clape, a Cote Rotie from Jamet, a Chateauneuf du Pape from Beaucastel. In Rhone blanc, a Hermitage from Jean Louis Chave.   

If you're celebrating your 20th birthday, don't hesitate to buy a 2004 wine!

Give, or treat yourself,a birthday bottle of wine! Whether it is a bottle for a year of birth, a wedding anniversary, or simply a symbolic wine to offer for a special occasion, Vins & Millésimes offers you to buy online the best bottles and magnums of wines and great wines. Grand Crus from France but also a few bottles from the rest of the world (Italy, Portugal, Spain, USA...). All our wines are 100% in stock and fast delivered!

Discover also all our old vintages and mature wines on our website !