Wine vintage rating 1971

What was the vintage 1971 like?

In the 1970s, long-lived wines were only produced in the classic wine regions.

Italy: 1971 - A very good year. In 1971 the Antinori winery started with Tignanello. Well balanced in the mouth with melting, elegant tannins. A wonderfully deep, concentrated wine. Superb balance and structure, exceptionally silky, intense perfume, great elegance.

Bordeaux: 1971 - A very good year. Small quantity of high quality, especially in Pomerol, St.Emilion and Graves. Good imposing aromas of floral delicacy. Very gentle attack in the mouth. Pleasantly silky with a discreet tender finish.

1971 was a very good vintage in Burgundy - rough at first, softening with age.

The weather in the year 1971

The year began with severe frost. In France there was a "grand froid", the great frost with temperatures down to minus 27°. This is rather good for viticulture. The vegetation was dormant.

The growth period, which begins with budding and flowering, is important. 1971 was a very wet, rainy year, especially during flowering. The result was very low yields. With high humidity, the classic vine diseases spread quickly. The affected grapes had to be carefully selected. The yields were correspondingly small in the vintage. The reduction in yield made the wines more concentrated with a positive effect on quality.

A very good, warm and sunny late summer and autumn saved the vintage. The grapes ripened late. The harvest usually took place in October - about 1 week later than usual. Early maturing grape varieties such as Merlot benefited from the course of the year 1971. Outstanding Château Cheval Blanc 1971.

The current stock of wines from the 1971 vintage

All wines from the 1971 vintage are in our own wine cellar and can be shipped immediately or picked up at the wine shop. To the wines of 1971

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 1971 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 turbid. 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. Mid shoulder is only acceptable for extremely rare, already valuable wines.

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