The vintage

1970

A generous year, and the Port to prove it

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The 1970 vintage, rated

A generous year, and the Port to prove it

In 2026 a bottle from 1970 marks a 56th birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Excellent · 4/5

A genuinely good Bordeaux vintage — a large, even crop that gave firm, well-balanced wines, and the best Médocs and Pomerols are still standing. Every major Port house declared 1970, and it remains one of the great post-war declarations. Burgundy, by contrast, was diluted by an enormous crop and is best left alone.

What we would buy, and why

This is one of the easier years to buy well, so there is no need to overreach. A 1970 vintage Port is the safest thing in the room: fortified wine of this age travels and keeps far better than table wine, and a good bottle sits at around €250–450. If you want claret, pay for a named classed growth with a clean label and the wine filled high into the neck, rather than a cheap château nobody has heard of.

1970 in the world

The first Glastonbury Festival was held that September on Michael Eavis's dairy farm: a pound to get in, and free milk from the herd.

Best bets for 1970

  • Taylor's or Fonseca 1970 vintage Port — the benchmark declaration, roughly €250–400, and still lively
  • Graham's 1970 — a touch sweeter and rounder than Taylor's, which suits someone who is not a seasoned drinker (about €230–350)
  • Château Ducru-Beaucaillou or Léoville-Barton 1970 — proper Médoc at €200–350 instead of €800
  • Château Latour 1970 if the budget stretches — a landmark bottle at €600–900, and the one to buy for a serious collector

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine

Real people, not a chatbot

Ask a person about this year

The people who answer are the same people who check and pack the bottles. Ask for photographs, a condition report or advice on a year and you get a straight answer from the ANNO team, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 CET.