1961 Bordeaux Wine Buying Guide Tips on Best Value Wines

1961 Bordeaux Wine Buying Guide Tips on Best Value Wines

This Bordeaux wine value buying guide page is a list of the top 1961 Bordeaux wines in the market for the money today. These are the best Bordeaux wines from the vintage combining quality, character and price from every major Bordeaux appellation.

1961 Bordeaux remains the holy grail for many Bordeaux wine collectors.  The wines at 50 years of age are in many cases still great. Some like Chateau Latour,  Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut Brion have decades of room for further evolution for patient or very wealthy consumers.

There are several choices in today’s marketplace of outstanding 1961 Bordeaux wines available that while not cheap, will not break the bank for people wanting to experience great mature Bordeaux wines.

To read detailed information on the 1961 Bordeaux harvest and wines: 1961 Bordeaux Wine .  For tips on other Bordeaux value wines and vintages: Bordeaux Wine Buying Guide Find the Best Bordeaux for the money to buy today (Vintages 1959 to today)

L’Arrosee

Beychevelle 93 Pts

Canon La Gaffeliere 90 Pts

Cantemerle

Ducru Beaucaillou 97 Pts

La Gaffeliere 91 Pts

Gazin 92 Pts

Grand Puy Lacoste

Gruaud Larose 93 Pts

Haut Bailly

Leoville Barton

Lynch Bages 95 Pts

Malescot St. Expuery 93 Pts

Montrose 88 Pts

Pape Clement 92 Pts

Pichon Baron 93 Pts

Pontet Canet 90 Pts

Numerous other 1961 Bordeaux are worth looking into due the strength of the vintage, provided the bottles have been well stored. The same can be said of 1959. However, if given the choice between 1961 or 1959, 1959 has shown greater consistency. The wines taste younger, fresher, more concentrated and complex. 1959 is a more opulent vintage, while 1961 is more concentrated, powerful and tastes younger today.

Both vintages are so strong, taking a chance on smaller but lesser known chateaux might prove rewarding. Most of the better 1959’s and 1961’s are fully mature and will not improve. However, as hard as it is to believe, at close to 50 years of age, not every 59 or 61 has hit full maturity. 1961 & 1959 Latour and Mouton tasted recently are still not fully evolved! Both vintages for those wines will live at least one hundred years! That is a big part of the reason people pay massive premiums for First Growths and for other top chateaux. For people thinking of experimenting with older vintages, those are the years to buy if priced right, and the bottles look to be in good condition.