Wine vintage rating 1966

What was the vintage 1966 like?

1966 A beautiful, elegant vintage. Better in Bordeaux than in Piedmont. Very good wines from the important appellations of the Médoc (Pauillac, Margaux etc.) + Graves, as well as the right bank with St.Emilion and Pomerol have survived to this day. The average summer was perfectly complemented by a very hot September. The grapes were very well ripened when they were harvested in early October.
Chateau Latour, Cheval Blanc and Petrus are the most notable 1er Grand Crus.

The not too warm but dry course of the year allowed the grapes to ripen slowly. Gradually, more modern cultivation and cellar techniques were used, for example temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, which reduced mistakes in wine production. Nevertheless, there are always big differences from winery to winery. While some wines have reached their best state harmoniously with complex aromas, the tannins in others are so dense that the wine still has aging potential and requires long decanting during the tasting.

Weather in the year 1966

In January there was a cold period, in March a lot of rain and in April snow fell again.

The summer, especially in the north, remained cool and humid.

A veritable heat wave set in in Bordeaux at the beginning of September. The temperatures climbed again to almost 40°C. October stayed very warm and then turned into autumn storms.

The current stock of wines from the 1966 vintage

All wines from the 1966 vintage are in our own wine cellar and can be shipped immediately or picked up at the wine shop. To the wines of 1966

Good filling levels, good wine quality

The fill level of an old vintage wine reveals important information on the drinkability of the wine.
Of course, the good condition of a wine from an old vintage depends on excellent storage. Above all, the wine must not have frequently changed cellars. Ideally, the wine will have rested in one and the same wine cellar.

But also the cork that sits in each individual bottle is very important. A perfect cork has few pores and keeps the wine stable. If an inferior cork happens to have been used in a bottle, the porous surface will begin to soak up wine and allow micro-quantities of the liquid to evaporate over the decades. Poor fill levels are the result.

A poor fill level therefore also indicates a high risk that the wine bottle could soon begin to leak.

The fill levels explained:
In the bottle neck (high fill to base neck) about 2 cm is perfect for wines.
Top and upper shoulder, ([very] top shoulder), approx. 3 cm is very good for very old wines.
Medium shoulder (mid shoulder), about 4 cm is only acceptable for rare top wines and in individual cases.
Everything below the red line should not be offered any more.

Wine rating

Do you have a 1966 vintage in your wine cellar and would you like to know how much it is worth?

Here are a few tips: in order to still have any value, the bottle must be leakproof. The wine must not be cloudy. It should be of good quality (not supermarket wine).

Search for the wine online without specifying the vintage. If it is a well-known winery, you will find the wine immediately and also the price you have to pay for the current vintage. If the current wine costs from EUR 20.00 upwards, that's a good sign.

The filling level is decisive for the value. Upper shoulder to base neck is required. Medium shoulder is only acceptable for extremely rare, already valuable wines.

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