Was 1973 a good year in Champagne?
Published vintage charts rate Champagne 1973 5 out of 5 stars and 4 out of 5. Ripeness held together with maintained acidity at 7.8 g/l. Where rot was avoided the wines are excellent, and it stands as one of the top years of the 1970s.
A sunny, hot year with quick flowering and a far larger crop than growers expected. Mid-September rains brought rot, worst in Chardonnay, but also swelled the bunches.
What the critics scored the 1973
One critic score is on record: 94/100, June 2017.
By score the 1973 ranks 30th of 39 (tied with 1975 and 1981) scored Louis Roederer Cristal vintages, 1.9 points below their review-weighted 95.9.
The 1970s by score: 1970 98.0, 1973 94.0, 1974 98.0, 1975 94.0, 1976 95.0, 1977 98.0, 1978 93.2 and 1979 97.3.
| Score | Reviewed |
|---|---|
| 94/100 | June 2017 |
The 1973 Cristal is rich, sumptuous and lush on the palate. Fully mature and yet marvelously intense, the 1973 possesses remarkable depth for a wine of its age. The 1973 has a little less of everything than the finest wines in this tasting, but its balance is tremendous.
What drinkers rate it
95.0 out of 100 from 1 drinker rating, the most recent in March 2020.
That is 1.0 points above the critics' score, on a single rating.
Drinker rank: 14th of 44 (tied with 1979). The most-rated vintage has 559 ratings.
Fairly flat bottle but what it lacked in bubbles it more than made up for in quality as a still wine. Deep gold in colour with very fine lees still at the bottom of the bottle so if not stood well could be a little cloudy. Searing acidity balances a sherry-like (probably the age) sweetness wrapped by a lovely core of fruit that holds it all together in perfect harmony. Would stand toe-to-toe with any GC white of the best pedigree.
When to drink the 1973
2017 to 2027: 10 years, opening 44 years after the harvest.
Open at our 2026 snapshot, with 1 year to run.
Window length rank, longest first: 24th of 33 (tied with 1974, 1977 and 1982).
The 1973 against its neighbours
The 1973 beside its 4 nearest recorded years.
Here, by score, it places 4th of 5 (tied with 1975).
| Vintage | Score | Drinkers | Window | Last trade | Retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 98.0 | 94.1 (8) | None | £604, July 2017 | None |
| 1970 | 98.0 | 88.0 (2) | 2017 to 2022 | None | None |
| 1973 | 94.0 | 95.0 (1) | 2017 to 2027 | None | None |
| 1974 | 98.0 | 91.5 (2) | 2017 to 2027 | None | None |
| 1975 | 94.0 | 95.5 (4) | 2017 to 2022 | £306, December 2015 | None |