1948 Bordeaux Wine Vintage Summary with harvest information, vintage characteristics, buying tips and links. If you are seeking more in-depth information on anything and everything related to the Bordeaux wine region please see the: All About Bordeaux Wine Guide
1948 Bordeaux wine is the smallest harvest of the great four, post war year vintages. We’re talking about 1947, 1947, 1948 and 1949. The vintage did not get off to a good start with a cold, wet, June. The cold, damp conditions led to a difficult, uneven flowering. 1948 Bordeaux is the product of another war, dry summer, the fourth vintage in a row. The month of July was warm, sunny and dry. It managed to reach all the way up to a warm 94 degrees on July 20. The month of August was overall slightly warmer and dry, with temperatures hitting 86 degrees August 1 and August 6. Once again, a perfect September made the vintage. It cooled down a bit by September when the nights dipped down to 38 degrees on more than one occasion. The hottest days of the month were recorded September 26 and September 27, following the 1948 Bordeaux harvest.
1948 Bordeaux wines were tannic and took a long time to develop. Had 1948 Bordeaux not been stuck in the middle of 1947 Bordeaux and 1949 Bordeaux, it would probably be better known and more sought after today.
Sadly, I’ve only had the chance to taste a few 1948 Bordeaux wines. The best wine from the vintage I’ve tasted was the sublime, and stylish 1948 Chateau Latour from Pauillac, which was an outstanding Bordeaux wine. From what I gather, it’s the wine of the Left Bank in 1948. I’ve heard from experienced tasters that Pomerol was extremely successful. The owner of Vieux Chateau Certan, Alexandre Thienpont has stated that from the 1948 Bordeaux vintage, Vieux Chateau Certan is a stunning Right Bank wine! I hope to find out one of these days. Hint, hint.
To read about other Bordeaux vintages from 1945 to today: Bordeaux Year to Year Detailed Vintage Reports & Guide 1945 to Today
