1961 Wine and Port Vintage
Vintage Summary and Recommendations: Welcome to Vintage Wine and Port's 1961 wine page. Read on for our summary of the 1961 vintage, our top recommendations and region reports. Scroll down to see all of our wines currently available. If you cannot find what you are looking for please call us on 01425 837177 or Contact Us. We would love to help you with your wine choice!
The 1961 vintage enjoyed some extraordinary moments, particularly in France. For Bordeaux, the vintage was legendary with great wines produced in Pessac-Léognan, Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Pomerol and – although less uniform – Margaux. However, as is often the case when conditions are ripe for perfect Bordeaux, the year was not so conducive for the sweet wines of Sauternes, and they tended to be more of a mixed bag. The year was also excellent for both Burgundy and Beaujolais, as well as Champagne, the Rhône and the Loire Valley. Although information is limited for Alsace, what does exist suggests it was very good. Outside of France, the vintages for both Piedmont and Tuscany were excellent and the best Barolo should still be drinking well now.
Any of these wines would make a fabulous wine gift for a 65th Anniversary or birthday.
Our Wine Expert currently recommends the following wines for this year:
This Year in History: Fun Fact: The farthing coin, used since the thirteenth century, ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
Eurovision Winner: Luxembourg with the song "Nous Les Amoureux"
Top Grossing Movie: 101 Dalmations
Bordeaux: This is one of the legendary vintages of the century. Although most of the 1961 wines are now fading slowly, the top examples continue to shine through offering concentrated, ripe fruit with amazing bouquets. The crop was tiny and there are very few examples available. Provided the bottles have been stored correctly these wines should last for another few years.
Italian: In Italy, 1961 is considered to be one of the greatest vintages of the 20th century. The wines from Piedmont (Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera) and Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello) are outstanding. Now fully mature these wines, with careful cellaring, will still keep for many years to come.
Portugal: While not generally a declared year, the hot weather produced some concentrated ports in 1961. The harvest started in extremely hot conditions at the river quinta in early September, progressing in other areas until the end of the month making it a long, drawn out vintage. The picking required a very rigorous selection which entailed picking out the burnt and imperfect grapes from the bunches before putting them in the baskets. This led to a small harvest, making bottles from this year quite rare. Making a great wine gift for any birthday or anniversary, the 1961 ports produced are still drinking well today.
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49 products found.
Gattinara, 1961
Luigi Nervi - Riserva Speciale
Gattinara is a red Italian wine produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown within the boundaries of the commune of Gattinara which is located in the hills in the north of the province of Vercelli, northwest of Novara in the Piedmont region. The wine is made from a minimum of 90% Nebbiolo grapes and is renowned for its longevity. Notes: a meaty, chunky wine with a subtle, clean nose. Hints of tar and bark, with undertones of cherries and rose petals. Light tannins.
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Price: £129.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Graham's Port, 1961
1961 Grahams Single Harvest - The Master
The cellar masters collection
1961 SINGLE HARVEST THE MASTER
Paying homage to three generations of Cellar Masters who shaped itsprolonged ageing, Graham's 1961 Single Harvest Tawny Port embodiesa legacy of timeless tradition and craftsmanship. Emerging in the dawnof the 1960s, an era marked by profound cultural shifts, this wine hasthrived for over six decades in the seasoned oak casks of the Graham's Lodge. Each Cellar Master has left an indelible mark on its character, imparting an extraordinary depth and balance. In this edition, Head Winemaker and Master Blender, Charles Symington, unveils the meticulously chosen cask for limited release under The Master label, an exquisite testament to the Cellar Master's Trilogy collection. …
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Price: £1,195.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Krohn Port, 1961
Vintage Port
Library release from Krohn cellars
Vintage & Background
1961 was not a widely declared vintage in the Douro, but some houses produced outstanding Ports with longevity and elegance. Krohn, a producer long respected for both Colheitas and classic Vintage Ports, crafted a wine that has stood the test of time. This bottling, released directly from Krohn’s own cellars as a library release, offers impeccable provenance and a rare opportunity to experience a perfectly matured 1961 Port.
Appearance & Nose
The colour has evolved into deep tawny at the rim with a garnet core, showing its six decades of age. On the nose, aromas of figs, dates, and raisins emerge first, followed by notes of walnuts, cedar, dried rose petals, tobacco, and subtle spice. …
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Price: £495.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Krohn Port, 1961
Vintage Port
Clearance Offer - High Shoulder level - Was £495 | Now £345
Vintage & Background
1961 was not a widely declared vintage in the Douro, but some houses produced outstanding Ports with longevity and elegance. Krohn, a producer long respected for both Colheitas and classic Vintage Ports, crafted a wine that has stood the test of time. This bottling, released directly from Krohn’s own cellars as a library release, offers impeccable provenance and a rare opportunity to experience a perfectly matured 1961 Port.
Appearance & Nose
The colour has evolved into deep tawny at the rim with a garnet core, showing its six decades of age. On the nose, aromas of figs, dates, and raisins emerge first, followed by notes of walnuts, cedar, dried rose petals, tobacco, and subtle spice. …
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Price: £345.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Nebbiolo, 1961
Vino Pazzo - Ce.Di.Vi
Very forward nose of leather and cherries, liquorice wild strawberries, ripe plums and pencil .The palate is very nice balance of sweet fruit and acidity.
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Price: £69.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Pertinace Antico, 1961
F.lli Minuto
Very forward nose of leather and cherries, liquorice wild strawberries, ripe plums and pencil .The palate is very nice balance of sweet fruit and acidity.
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Price: £129.00
Stock: 3 in Stock
Rioja, 1961
Faustino I, Gran Reserva
Faustino I Gran Reserva Rioja 1961
The 1961 vintage is one of the most legendary in Rioja’s history, producing wines of extraordinary longevity, elegance and complexity. Faustino I Gran Reserva stands today as a true icon of mature Spanish fine wine.
In the glass, it shows a pale garnet core with pronounced amber and brick hues at the rim, reflecting its long and graceful evolution. The bouquet is intensely complex and refined, offering aromas of dried strawberry, cherry and fig, layered with notes of leather, tobacco, cedar, polished wood, spice, and subtle hints of balsamic and orange peel. …
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Price: £375.00
Stock: 12 in Stock
Rioja, 1961
Bodegas Riojanas, Monte Real Reserva
Remains of labels
Bodegas Riojanas Monte Real Reserva 1961 – Rioja
The 1961 Monte Real Reserva from Bodegas Riojanas is a beautifully mature and highly evocative example of traditional Rioja, offering elegance, subtle complexity and classic charm after more than six decades of ageing. The colour has faded to a pale garnet with pronounced amber and brick tones at the rim, reflecting its long and graceful evolution.
The nose is delicate, refined and wonderfully expressive. Aromas of dried cherry, redcurrant and plum skin are layered with leather, tobacco, old wood, vanilla and gentle coconut from extended American oak ageing. …
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Price: £145.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Salento, 1961
Ruffino Rosso, Puglia
Sweet Red Wine
Salento is in the region of Puglia on the heel of Italy. The Ruffino is a fortified wine made predominantly from the primitivo grape. The wine has a liquorice and spice bouquet, a mediaum body and a long alcoholic finish.
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Price: £189.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Salento, 1961
Bianco, Ruffino, Puglia
Sweet White Fortified Wine
Salento is in the region of Puglia on the heel of Italy. The Ruffino is a fortified wine made predominantly from the primitivo grape. The wine has a liquorice and spice bouquet, a mediaum body and a long alcoholic finish.
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Price: £195.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sichel & Fils Frères, 1961
Vosne-Romanée "Les Malconsorts"
The 1961 Vosne-Romanée "Les Malconsorts" by Sichel & Fils Frères is a fine and rare Premier Cru Burgundy wine from the esteemed Les Malconsorts vineyard in the Vosne-Romanée appellation. This vineyard is renowned for producing Pinot Noir wines of exceptional depth and complexity.
Given the wine's age, availability is extremely limited.
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Price: £345.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Sogno di Bacco, 1961
Umberto Fiore - Riserva
Sogno di Bacco is made from thelong lasting nebbiolo grape. Nebbiolo is a black-skinned red wine grape variety most famous for creating the 'tar and roses' scent of Barolo wines from Piedmont, north-western Italy. The grape's very name is evocative of its home among the misty foothills of the western Alps; the nebbia (Italian for 'fog') after which it is named frequently arrives on early October mornings, when the Nebbiolo harvest is in full swing.
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Price: £79.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Spanna, 1961
F.lli Berteletti - Riserva
Clearance Offer - Last Few | Was £139 | Now £80
A Classic Nebbiolo from Alto Piemonte
The 1961 Spanna Riserva F.lli Berteletti offers a remarkable glimpse into the historic winemaking traditions of northern Piedmont. “Spanna” is the local name for Nebbiolo in Alto Piemonte, where the grape produces elegant, age-worthy wines with a distinctively refined character. F.lli Berteletti, known for their traditional methods, crafted wines that emphasized purity, balance, and the expression of terroir — all hallmarks of classic Alto Piemonte.
A Legendary Vintage
The 1961 vintage is widely celebrated as one of the greatest of the 20th century in Piedmont. …
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Price: £80.00
Stock: 4 in Stock
Spanna, 1961
Luigi Nervi
Spanna has often been cited by wine experts as one of Italy’s greatest ageing wines. Spanna’s longevity can be attributed, at least in part, to the addition of smaller amounts of less tannic, more acidic grape varieties. Tasting notes: The nose opens up beautifully after about an hour and the wine has gorgeous ripe and sweet fruit, nice acidity, and perfectly softened tannins.
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Price: £139.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1961
Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port
UK Bottled by Dolamore
Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 1961
The 1961 vintage is highly regarded in the Douro, producing Vintage Ports of great balance, elegance and longevity. Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas 1961 stands as a superb single-quinta expression from one of the Douro’s most historic vineyards.
In the glass, it shows a deep amber-tawny core with mahogany and olive highlights, reflecting its long bottle ageing. The bouquet is refined and complex, offering aromas of dried cherry, fig and raisin, layered with notes of orange peel, polished wood, spice, and subtle hints of tobacco and cocoa.
On the palate, the wine is beautifully harmonious, with integrated sweetness, gentle tannins and a fresh, lifted acidity. …
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Price: £695.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1961
Colheita Single Harvest Port
Includes Taylor's oak gift box
Taylor’s has an extensive and enviable library of very old Ports and this very limited 60 year old Single Harvest Port which represents the cream of their aged reserves.
Only 3,000 bottles of this phenomenal Port have been released. Nestled in a beautifully illustrated box, we think this limited-edition Port is the ultimate 60th anniversary gift. Or, with its fabulously festive flavour profile, it may well be the perfect Christmas Port.
The cool Taylor’s Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia are home to one of the most extensive collections of very old Port casks anywhere in the world. Tucked away are a selection of Single Harvest Ports with an immense capacity to age and develop. …
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Price: £425.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Taylor Fladgate, 1961
Colheita Single Harvest Port
No box
Taylor’s has an extensive and enviable library of very old Ports and this very limited 60 year old Single Harvest Port which represents the cream of their aged reserves.
Only 3,000 bottles of this phenomenal Port have been released. Nestled in a beautifully illustrated box, we think this limited-edition Port is the ultimate 60th anniversary gift. Or, with its fabulously festive flavour profile, it may well be the perfect Christmas Port.
The cool Taylor’s Cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia are home to one of the most extensive collections of very old Port casks anywhere in the world. Tucked away are a selection of Single Harvest Ports with an immense capacity to age and develop. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: 1 in Stock
Tokaji, 1961
Export Monimpex (Half litre, 50cl)
Hungary’s most famous dessert wine is Tokaji the legendary sweet elixir. It can only be spoken in the superlative about this wine, as it is a medicine, a real nectar. The name Tokaji (which is of Protected Designation of Origin) is used for labeling wines from this wine district. The location of the region has a unique climate, beneficial to this particular viniculture, due to the protection of the nearby mountains, long warm autumns and mists that come in from the River Bodrog, creating perfect conditions for noble rot. Creating the botrytised ('aszú') grapes for which the region is famous. A wonderful sweet wine from this renowned producer. …
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Price: £225.00
Stock: 2 in Stock
1961 Calem Port, 1961
Colheita Port
Decanter 2020 Best in Show
Each year, these tawny port wines reveal special characteristics, ever developing whilst they age in the wood casks for a minimum of 8 years. Tawny colour, a smooth bouquet of vanilla, honey and dried fruit. Drink on its own or with your favourite cakes and deserts.
Decanter 2020 World Wine Awards Best in Show Award
Review in Decanter
"This single-vintage tawny port is older than its 40 Year Old Best In Show sibling, but the fact that it is unblended (and has perhaps spent time in glass as well as barrel) gives it a very different character: lighter, more graceful and more fugitive, yet at the same time refined, long, graciously but not cloyingly sweet, and with a succulence and silkiness rarely rivalled by other fortified wines. …
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Price: £325.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Bordeaux, 1961
Delor
Bordeaux, in the south-west of France, needs little introduction to anyone with an interest in wine. One of the world's most prolific wine regions, it also manages to rank among the most famous and prestigious. The secrets of Bordeaux's wine success (other than magical Bordeaux Blend) are its three trump cards: diversity, quality and quantity. The majority of Bordeaux wines are the dry, medium-bodied reds that made the region famous.
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Price: £99.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau Gilette, 1961
Creme de Tete, Sauternes
The 1961 Chateau Gilette is a beautiful Sauternes dessert wine still has a wonderful golden colour. It tastes young and vibrant, with good acidity and finish.
Château Gilette is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the Sauternes appellation within the Bordeaux region of France. It is renowned for producing sweet white wines, particularly Sauternes, which are made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes affected by noble rot. Noble rot, or botrytis cinerea, is a beneficial fungus that concentrates the sugars and flavors in the grapes, resulting in luscious and complex sweet wines. …
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Price: £349.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau Giscours, 1961
Margaux 3rd Growth Classification
The 1961 Château Giscours is a notable vintage from this esteemed Third Growth estate in the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux. The 1961 vintage is often regarded as one of the finest in Bordeaux's history, producing wines with remarkable depth and longevity.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: The bouquet reveals complex aromas of earth, forest floor, truffle, smoke, blackberry, cigar box, spice, and ash.
Palate: Full-bodied and concentrated, with flavors of black cherry, though some tasters have noted a tart cranberry sensation in the finish.
Critical Acclaim:
Vinous: Awarded 96 points, describing it as a hidden gem of the vintage, with a magnificent bouquet of blackberry, estuary mudflats, seaweed, and a hint of bay. …
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Price: £350.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Chateau L'Hermitage, 1961
St Emilion
The 1961 Château L’Hermitage from Saint-Émilion is a remarkable rarity from what is considered one of the most legendary Bordeaux vintages of the 20th century. The 1961 harvest was famously small in quantity yet astonishing in quality, producing wines of unparalleled concentration, balance, and longevity. In Saint-Émilion, the Merlot-dominated blends thrived, benefiting from the vintage’s perfect growing conditions to create wines of depth, richness, and extraordinary ageing potential—qualities that this Château L’Hermitage showcases beautifully after more than six decades.
In the glass, it reveals a mature brick-red hue with tawny highlights, an elegant testament to its long evolution. …
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Price: £345.00
Stock: Out of Stock
Graham's Port, 1961
Malvedos Crusted Port
Unlabelled
In neck
A very rare single quinta crusted port from Graham's.
Graham's owns Quinta dos Malvedos an historic estate in a prime location. In the past their estate ports was produced this Crusted, an unusual and unique traditional Port wine style. Port Crusted is a batch of full-bodied wines that age in large wooden casks, two years for this Grahams, then are bottled unfiltered and remain in the cellar for a few years before being released to the market.
Learn more about Graham’s
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Price: £485.00
Stock: Out of Stock