1981 Help!

Hoping the wisdom of this board can help me with my brothers birth year wine for his 40th next year. I’ve done some historical searches and it appears 1981 wasn’t particular special for bordeaux but are there any outliers? Would spend as high as $1k for something special. I’m open to anything we just normally drink Napa or Bordeaux.

Also, any specific recommendation where to buy? It’s hard to buy a bottle with such age online…

Appreciate all the suggestions in advance! champagne.gif

My very first thought was Madeira… Maybe Blandy’s Malmsey, or D’Oliveira Sercial or Verdelho. Both well south of 1k.

I think you can find Vega Sicilia Unica for less than a grand and that should be spectacular. I would also look for some López De Heredia from that year. As always, provenance is key.

Was just posting on the 81 Unico as well. Excellent wine. A couple of bottles in the US for $900-1000, but with patience and checking auctions and retailers you could possibly find better.

The LDH from 81 is superb. I would highly recommend it but finding it may be a bit expensive. Wine searcher shows it at $311-350.

Rioja. LDH is great—I really love the Bosconia GR—but there’s significant bottle variation.

Maybe Grange…well stored.

Outside of that I’d probably be on lookout for magnums to reduce risk and/or German Riesling.

Ditto Grange. Opened a bottle 2.5 years ago for my nephew’s bday and it had bags of life. Of course, I had purchased it Upon release (from david schildknect at pearson’s) and properly stored it so that helped.

I gave my nephew the other bottle I owned.

81’ baby here. Always a struggle to find solid Birth Year stuff. I’ve found that Rioja is a really good option. Hit and miss on Bordeaux, Old Napa Cab can be surprisingly great. Diamond Creek & Dunn HM can kick butt. Had an 81’ DHM last year with some friends on the board and it was arguably the WOTN and there were some killer bottles that night.

81 Cheval Blanc really nice wine.

Pegau

Ch. Beaucastel '81 was a great wine. Also Ch. Gruaud-Larose '81 was very good. No idea how either is doing now, but I’d guess that well-stored bottles are still a pleasure.

Bosconia

Ditto on the 81 Dunn HM. Great wine. For Bordeaux 81 Haut Brion and LMHB were good but that was 10 years ago since I had them.

It was actually a pretty good vintage in Bordeaux but tends to be lighter than the best years of the 80’s. I just opened a 1981 La Conseillante tonight and it’s an excellent, Burgundian styled wine. In the recent past, I’ve also enjoyed both Pichons, Haut Bailly, and Gruaud Larose. Farther back, Cheval Blanc, Margaux and La Mission were all very good.

Great vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape, though hard to find now.

as someone born in a basically uniformly terrible year for wine, i personally prefer a decent bottle frmo a decent year than a top producer in a bad year’s best effort

Chateauneuf du Pape, even minor wines are stiĺl good

Thanks for all the ideas! Many bottles I haven’t heard of so I’ve got homework.

Much appreciated.

Vieux Telegraphe Rouge.

1981 Heitz Martha’s is stunning.