Anything good from '81?

Looking for some birth year wines. Unfortunately '81 seems to be a broadly bad year across most regions. Any suggestions?

81 Rioja gran reserva I’ve heard is good (have one but haven’t tried).

81 bdx, especially first growth have been solid (but probably not worth the cost).

Looking for info too. Wife’s BY

Krug. But it’s really difficult to find.

'81 Rioja is great.

I haven’t had it in a few years, but '81 Vega Sicilia has been very good. And as others have mentioned a number of Rioja’s.

Best Champagnes are Krug Collection, especially from magnum, Cristal and Taittinger CdC.

It’s a great Rioja vintage in red and white.

And there are many good red Bordeaux for relatively reasonable prices still in comparison to other vintages. I particularly like ‘81 Graves.

It’s my birth year, too. Some highlights (these aren’t listed in any particular order):

  1. Beaucastel
  2. Unico
  3. Krug
  4. Gruaud Larose
  5. La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904
  6. Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge
  7. Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve
  8. Château Palmer
  9. Château La Mission Haut-Brion
  10. Chateau Musar
  11. Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut
  12. JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
  13. Château Montrose

From memory: Clos du Papes, Beaucastel, La Mouline, La Tache, La Mission

La Conseillante, Gruaud Larose, Haut Bailly, both Pichons. I’ve enjoyed all of these in the past two years.

When I turned 30, the 81 Dunn Howell Mountain was starting to open up. A couple years ago an 81 Jordan was pretty much gone. Currently sitting on an 81 Clos du Val Cab and Montrose.

81 Beaucastel if it’s still around. It was spectacular. Haven’t had it in ten years or so.

We had the 1981 Montrose recently and it was very good
Not as good as 1979 Figeac though

Esoteric and difficult to find, but recently had an '81 Mayacamas Pinot at Bern’s that was absolutely mind-boggling. Worth snatching up if you find it.

Rioja already mentioned multiple times. I’ll still chime in with LdH GRs, both Bosconia and Tondonia. I’ve had a few times and drinking very well.

I had a really good 81 Dom Ruinart a couple of years ago. It had aged beautifully.

Thanks all for the quick and thorough advice!

Rioja sounds like a great idea, so I’ll definitely search for those. Beaucastel and some of the Bordeauxs sound like good ideas too. I’ll start searching.

Just had the Bosconia. Took two hours to show its complexity then wow.

In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I’d argue that 1981 is the best vintage of the decade, along with 1989. Beaucastel is brilliant, but so are many other wines, and properly conserved bottles are still very much in their prime.

The 1981 Krug is probably the wine-of-the-vintage in Champagne.

Burgundy is quite tricky, honestly.

But Bordeaux is underrated - what was shaping up to be a very nice vintage, diluted a little by rain just before harvest. I love La Conseillante and La Mission especially, but there are plenty of very nice wines that have aged with grace.

Another vote for La Conseillante. I’ve been on a bit of an ‘81 Bordeaux kick lately and that has probably been my favorite thus far. Ducru also pretty solid, as are the Cordier wines. Branaire Ducru started out ok (88?) but actually put on a bit of weight with air. The Mouton can be really good as well, but less of an outperformer given reputation and price.

Montrose and Ducru Beaucaillou have been delicious recently