The benefit of hindsight tells us this story did not end happily ever after, but for the 750
million people tuning in to the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales, the day was fit for a fairy-tale complete with gold-encrusted carriage, silk slippers and trumpet fanfares aplenty.   The Champagne of choice? Magnums of Dom Pérignon 1961–  Diana’s birth year and a legendary vintage. The 600 bottles were disgorged in March 1981, just four months before Diana took the long walk down the aisle at St Paul’s cathedral but the quality of this 50/50 Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend had long been appreciated: it is the only Champagne to have been awarded six stars by the late Michael Broadbent in his vintage guide – the maximum was five – while sparkling wine expert Tom Stevenson called it “the best Dom Pérignon I have ever tasted”. It wasn’t just Champagne that made wine fit for royalty in 1961. The warm, dry summer produced wines that had the Bordelais salivating from the first crush. In his annual
vintage report, Bordeaux négociant Peter Sichel, said:  “We have no doubts at all about the quality of this vintage. The wines are dark in colour, firm and complete in composition
and classic in flavour…they are great wines ranking with the 1928’s, 1929’s and 1945’s.” Despite the evident quality, there wasn’t much of it to go around: an intense cold spell at
the end of May made a huge dent in yields and this caused massive headaches. Bordeaux was far from wealthy at this time and the sur souche system was still in operation, which meant producers sold part of their crop before a grape had been harvested. It helped with cashflow and kept the bank manager far from the château gates but the system backfired in 1961 when nature turned against the vines: there was hardly any fruit; some châteaux couldn’t fulfil contracts and had to reimburse their customers for failure to supply.  Under the stable ownership of American financier Clarence Dillon, however, there were no such concerns at Château Haut-Brion. Instead, 1961 will be remembered as the “ripe and concentrated” debut vintage for Jean-Bernard Delmas who took over from his father and made the revolutionary step of introducing stainless steel fermentation tanks.  His son Jean-Philippe was handed the winemaking reins in 2004 and explains that the introduction of tanks brought greater precision to Haut-Brion. He tasted the 1961 earlier this year and recalls: “It was powerful, complex, so rich in tannins, ample, fleshy and complete. A pinnacle in quality, slightly similar to our 1989, that can still age and flourish for several decades. 1961 and 1989 are really the best made by my father.” The year 1961 will also be remembered as a killer year for the northern Rhône. Paul Jaboulet Ainé’s Hermitage La Chapelle, a cuvee that takes its name from the pint-sized chapel on top of the Hermitage hill, was lauded by wine critic Robert Parker and played no small part in creating a semi-mythical status. “This is unquestionably one of the greatest wines made in the twentieth century,” he declared. “In the two dozen tastings where I have had the 1961 La Chapelle, I rated it 100 points twenty times,” which would give it a sum total of 2000 Parker points. Heading further south through the Mont Blanc tunnel, the conditions that produced a stunning Rhône season made this the vintage of the decade in Piedmont. It is even a
strong contender for vintage of the century. According to Angelo Gaja, the makers of Barolo and Barbaresco would have to wait until 1970 for a vintage in the same league and then, like buses, they had another the following year (although some would argue the quality of 1967 was in a similar league).  By 1961, the staunch traditional Barolo maker, Bartolo Mascarello, already had 40-odd vintages under his belt and it would prove to be one of the vintages of a lifetime. While fully mature, it continues to drink well, although it’s not one for long-term cellaring at nearly 60 years old.  The late Mascarello’s unwavering commitment to long maceration times and traditional aging in large format Slovenian oak (botti) in the face of a modernist Barolo movement continues under the guardianship of his daughter Maria-Teresa. Fashions have come and gone since Mascarello first made this wine but it’s clear that he knew how to capture the greatness of his sites And if it ain’t broke… Explore more Editorial

In conversation amongst collectors and critics around the world, 1961 is certainly a vintage that piques a lot of interest. It was a vintage that arguably produced some of the finest bottles of the century. In the latest installment in our Vintage Series, we explore the vintage of 1961.

According to collectors and critics around the world, 1961 is a vintage that produced some of the finest bottles of the century. We explore the golden year

Exploring the 1961 vintage globally 

A year in wine: 1961

Soldera is one of Italy’s most iconic and best-loved wines. In top vintages, it is the absolute benchmark for Sangiovese par excellence and there are few wines in the world that can achieve the same level of ethereal beauty. The estate has always been a family affair and, following the passing of founder and guiding light Gianfranco Soldera in February last year, the remaining family members have continued his work, adhering to his strict philosophy and methods in the vineyard and winery. We caught up with Gianfranco’s daughter Monica Soldera who, alongside her husband Paolo, has worked with her father at the estate since 2003. The Soldera philosophy The Soldera story starts with the winery, Case Basse. “Its foundation is built on the history and heritage of the family", Monica says, "[it is] focused on a love of nature, passion for food and wine, and pleasure of knowledge. Nowadays Case Basse follows this path thanks to the help and personality of my mum, my brother Mauro and his wife Valeria, me and my husband Paolo.” Elegance, perfume and balance have been at the heart of Soldera from the outset. This has been achieved through a combination of factors synonymous with fine wine production: extremely low yields, strict grape selection at harvest, and the all-important terroir which is so well suited to growing Sangiovese (including not only the soil but all the natural influences specific to the estate such as climate, exposure and elevation). In addition to this, Soldera has always operated under a philosophy that the family refers to as “fine-tuning”. This fine-tuning approach has seen the estate go into minute detail in both the vineyard and winery to improve the quality of the wines. For example, the de-stemming of the grapes is done in a special machine that safeguards the integrity of the berries and enables their selection according to size. Berries are then checked manually, one by one, before being transferred directly into 100-quintal (10,000kg) oak fermenters for natural fermentation. Movement and racking of the wine is not practiced unless absolutely necessary and the wines are aged in large old Slovenian oak casks for around four years before the wines are bottled directly from the cask, completely unfiltered. Extensive research is also carried out at the property, as Monica explains. "There are two souls at Soldera: the first is very traditional in its work in the vineyard and in its winemaking processes but the other soul is academic".  Soldera has become a beacon of research in the region, commissioning in-depth studies on the soils, clones and climate within the property.  Monica says that climate change over the past 10 years has been very noticeable and therefore it has never been more important to understand nature, adding: “Nature gives you a lot of signals but you need to understand what those signals are telling you.”  Without research and a deeper understanding of their environment, many farmers might use aggressive methods to combat problems in the vineyard which cause more damage. “If you are scared, you act aggressively. If you are attentive to nature, it gives you confidence and you can work to protect it”. The research continues today with grants awarded to researchers who use the Case Basse vineyard to carry out their studies. This year they celebrated the 10th anniversary of The International Soldera Case Basse Award for Young Researchers, which is awarded by a commission of six agricultural professors and experts.  Candelaria Castello Lloret received the top prize in 2019 for her research entitled Metabolomics Characterisation of Spontaneous Vine Growth in Case Basse Estate, Montalcino. This type of research has enabled Soldera to continually refine their agricultural work as well as provide data for agricultural practices more generally. The 2019 harvest The 2019 harvest was the first at the estate without founder Gianfranco and therefore a very poignant one for the family.“It was full of emotion and responsibility," Monica says. "However, we are really happy with the results and the first evaluation of the wine leads us to believe that Soldera 2019 will be one of the best-ever produced at Case Basse."  "We took care of the vineyards, we selected the grapes and we carried out the vinification according to the principles and the practices that we learned from my dad throughout the years," Monica explains. "Even though nature can be variable and we must adapt to it. The 2019 growing season has been characterised by a different meteorological trend compared to other recent years. A cold winter with few precipitations followed by a fresh and rainy spring and a hot dry summer led to high-quality grapes very rich in fully ripe tannins, a guarantee for a long-lasting wine". "Meanwhile, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are maturing properly in the cellar and we are monitoring and tasting them regularly with the support of Professor Vincenzini and his team," she adds. "All of them offer us joy and great emotions that we will share with our customers in the coming years.“ The 2015 vintage  On the 2015 vintage, which is due to be released in the next few weeks, Monica said: "It has been a regular year in climate with no particular difficulties in vineyard and vinification. My father said 'an easy vintage' which means no challenges in production but joyful in wine. Nature was generous in 2015 and after having 2014 so difficult in weather this has been a gift.  "The 2014 Sangiovese Soldera is thrilling, but the production has been very limited so we are only able to share it in lower quantities with our customers. Coming back to 2015, we think that drinking wine is a personal and specific experience, nobody is allowed to tell you what you feel in your nose and mouth. At the end, what is worth is if you finish the bottle (not alone!) because you enjoy it. So I do not want to write about perceptions in tasting as a rule. Personally, I would say: a rainbow of emotions." The 2015 was exceptional in Brunello di Montalcino more generally. Significantly warmer and drier than the two previous vintages of 2013 and 2014. Production levels were around average for the estate at just over 16,500 bottles, up from just under 10,000 in the more difficult 2014 vintage. The wine was aged for 45 months in barrel prior to bottling.  Explore all current Soldera listingsor browse more Editorial 

Prior to the upcoming release of the long-anticipated 2015 vintage, we caught up with Gianfranco Soldera’s daughter, Monica, who, alongside her husband Paolo, has worked at the estate since 2003.

Soldera is one of Italy’s most iconic, best-loved wines among collectors. Gianfranco Soldera’s daughter, Monica, discusses the benchmark Sangiovese

Monica Soldera on Super Tuscans 

Monica Soldera on the Super Tuscans and her family's iconic estate

Every now and then, the word ‘singularity’ is used to describe a particular wine that stands apart, for whatever reason, from other wines of its type. But just what is singularity, and how can wine express it? Wine writer Tamlyn Currin investigates.

What makes a wine truly singular? Tamlyn Currin explores the rare bottles that defy convention and challenge the rules of the wine world.

Searching for Singularity in wine

Searching for Singularity

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