The 1970 vintage is like all Bordeaux vintages a time capsule.

To open a 1970 Bordeaux today is to summon not just a wine, but a memory of an epoch: a vintage that bridges strength with serenity, reminding us that true beauty lies in patience and evolution, and in the quiet grace of age.

It’s the year The Beatles ended, Apollo 13 ran into a problem and Pelé together with his Brazil squad stormed to World Cup glory.

So, did 1970 go super sonic like another icon of France, the Concorde, which began its test flights this year or is it as random as the first RAM introduced by Intel?

Well, let’s have a look-see shall we if Petrus, Mouton, Latour or Lafite made it passed the barrier or left the band just like Paul McCartney did The Beatles.

Vintage Barrier

1970 is a very good rather than a great vintage in Bordeaux.

Most wines have a fresh and fruity character, but not the intensity and depth you will find in e.g. 1961 or 1945.

The vintage resulted in an enormous harvest.

To put it into perspective, in 1947 Mouton Rothschild produced 57.558 bottles – in 1970 the production was 315.000 bottles or a whopping 447 % more! This is why you still on a regular basis will encounter wines from that abundant vintage today.

The quality was not uniformly good, but most wines have survived and are drinkable today. Some even seem to be pulling ever greater strength with time and some, like the ferociously backward Latour, seem to still not be ready for optimum drinking.

The amount of bottles still available are attractive buys and if you want to try a mature wine that is still drinkable this vintage could be a good choice.

- Article, reviews & photography by Ivar Bjurner

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Bordeaux 1970

Vintage Barrier

1970 is a very good rather than a great vintage in Bordeaux.

The vintage resulted in an enormous harvest.

The amount of bottles still available are attractive buys and if you want to try a mature wine that is still drinkable this vintage could be a good choice.

PRODUCERS IN THIS ARTICLE

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