1981 Gruaud Larose

Lovely wine, still in great shape. Classic nose of red fruit, leather, smoke and tar and more leather. Vibrant palate with saddle leather, much more red fruit (remarkably so), hints of acid and tannin, medium length. Silky and charming. Probably beyond peak but only to the youth-obsessed. 90-91 or so.

Great note…def. a wine I would njoy…I think the 80’s cordier stable are my all time favorite Bordeaux…old school classic…the way they should be

Thanks, Rich. This brings back fond memories. A real standout in '81. And it was $14.99 in those days.

$14.99? The good old days.

After a couple of hours it definitely started to fade. I didn’t decant this one and won’t decant my next.

But yes, I love these 80s Bordeaux. Been experimenting with buying some of the less heralded vintages.

I inherited a case of this from my father in 1991. A classic from an underrated vintage, it drank well for the 20 additional years it took me to finish them.

I had this wine several times in the 90ies and early 2000s - and liked it vm (like the 1979, btw).
Not tasted for a good 12-13 years.

I had one a couple years ago and it was very good. That bottle I had owned for a long time but I’ve been enjoying quite a few 81s that I’ve purchased recently: Both Pichons, Conseillante, Haut Bailly, Gloria and a few others that have skipped my brain. Prices are good and the vintage is really not bad, just overshadowed by all the good stuff from the 80’s. Bordeaux is seemingly indestructible.

The 1979 Gruaud was the first classed growth Bordeaux I tasted, back around 1987 or 88. I remember looking at it a long time before getting the nerve to pay $20 for a wine. I had it many times but not for quite a few years now. I’d like to have it again.

I don’t have much experience with 81s, but a L’Evangile tasted 5 months ago was good. I’ll be looking out for more from this vintage.

To be serious: there are several very good 1981s Bx … Gruaud, Pichon-Lalande (and Baron), Las Cases, Lafite, (less Latour), Margaux, Ducru, La Mission, (less HB imho), and on the right bank especially Pomerol …

On the other hand there are far more that were not really outstanding - and which are now quite uninteresting, if not really bad …
I had a Pape Clement 1981 recently that was far from enjoyable … (just for instance).

So it´s not an “all in”-vintage …

While I have you all here, has anyone had a 1987 in recent times?

Yep. Duhart-Milon about 10 months ago. Decent enough (probably 90 points if you are that way inclined) but probably not as good as the '81 mentioned here. 1987 BDX is absolutely not a vintage I would go chasing after - I say this from a reasonable amount of experience with it. Burgundy equally bad or worse.

The thing with these off vintages is to drink them not in comparison with a good or great one; they can be quite pleasurable then. As soon as you introduce a stronger vintage, it becomes very apparent how subpar they are.

Thanks Julian. I found the 87 Gruaud for what appears to be a good price, although that (of course) depends on how good the wine is. I have not been convinced to buy sight-unseen

Mr. L hosted a 1981 Bordeaux horizontal a couple years ago that Gilman may have posted notes about in View from the Cellar if anyone subscribes. I was then at K&L a week or two later in SF and snagged one of their ex-cellar mags of 1981 DDC. Really good wine.

I’m trying to remember if we had Pape Clement at the horizontal or if I’ve had it otherwise. I have a gut feeling you didn’t have a good bottle, Gerhard.

My brother and I drank a 1987 Gruaud about three years ago. It was in very good shape and quite enjoyable to drink, though I don’t think it’s as good as the others being discussed here. If the price is good it’s worth a shot.

Thanks Craig

If everyone can stop talking about how enjoyable 1981s are, that would be appreciated. I prefer to keep this vintage under the radar.

That was DEFINITELY no good bottle … and it looked sound from the outside (as far as one can say) …
a friend confirmed that the wine is usually not very good … (but who knows, all bad bottles … )