Back vintage (84/5?) dessert-wine (port/Sauternes?) recommendations

Planning a wedding and I get to do the wine. I have ideas for the regular courses but am trying to think of something to do for a dessert wine. Our birth years are 85 & 84 so I thought it might be fun to look at those vintages, but according to vintage charts these are either ok (port) or bad (Sauternes) and CT scores for Suduiraut are pretty bad in 85; looks like they didn’t make an 84.

Anyone have suggestions? Willing to go beyond Sauternes or Port and also not at all committed to 84/85—that would be a bonus but the main priority is something that’s ready to drink and available. Probably upper limit of around $75-80/btl.

Appreciate any ideas!

There should be plenty of ‘85 ports available that are very good. We had our nice bottles the night before as part of the rehearsal dinner and then champagne for the wedding. If you need a ‘85 Graham’s port let me know, have a few in the cellar.

Port? What will the women drink?

Seriously, what is your menu?

Consider Baumard Quarts de Chaume, a recent good vintage. Drinks well young, easy to like, not too expensive.

Really enjoyed a 1985 Smith Woodhouse port 2 Christmases ago.

I bought a case each of the 85 Graham and 85 Fonseca not too long after release. I’ve had mixed experiences with the Graham, but every bottle of the Fonseca has been wonderful and I expect the rest will be over the next several decades. If you want 84, Graham made a Quinta dos Malvedos which I’ve never tasted, although I bought a couple of bottles for a friend’s anniversary and another friend’s birth year.

First choice would be 1985 Graham, followed by Fonseca, both however will exceed your price limit. Wine searcher shows Hoopers, Sandemans, Croft, Ferreira in that price range and I would expect them all to still be drinking well.

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85 was very good for VP, and friends have poured lots of great ones over the years, but not sure what might be available at needed price point this year. If you can accept 86…it was a fine year for some Sauternes estates. Had a killer 86 Lafaurie Peyraguey out of mag at the end of a party a while ago!

I’d just think through how the evening might play out - by the latter parts of a reception guests might be filtering out, leaving etc. It sucks to buy a case of high end dessert wine and see lots of it wasted, and the remaining bottles stolen by the event staff.

83 Sauternes is close enough and a very bright, energetic vintage.

86 Sauternes was very good.

Maybe serve some 83, some 86, and average?

I agree with the sauternes recommendations: '83 and '86 are the surrounding vintages to find. I wouldn’t go for '84/'85 other than as a curiosity.

I would forget about 84/85 and rather focus on serving the best possible wine (which still can be old). Depending on how your budget looks like and how big the party is, nothing beats Yquem (83, 88, 90). Loire might offer some fun (Huet 1er Trie Le Haut Lieu, Huet Le Haut Lieu, Huet Clos de Bourg, all from 89 or 90). Climens 88, 89, 90 would be a more budget concious choice.

If it has to be a 84/85, I would go for a Toro Albala PX Gran Reserva 85. But not everybody loves sherry. Second choice would be Fonseca and Graham Port.

Why 1985? It was a great year for vintage Port. Tons of great alternatives there, most of them not even breaking the bank.

1984, however, is a completely different thing. A miserable vintage virtually everywhere in Europe. You might find some wines that are still drinkable, but it’s nigh impossible to find any great wines and a good deal of even very ageworthy wines are most likely past their peak.

For example the only Colares that has been past its peak (a thing I thought was impossible) was a 1984 Colares. Dull, flat and lifeless. That’s quite something when even vintages from 1930’s and 1940’s are drinking wonderfully.

I have to say, as someone also born in a very bad year for wine, I’d always prefer to serve a good wine, than a coincidential one.

I also offered some Port advice but I wouldn’t go in that direction as I made the experience, that Port wine (and to an even larger extend Sherry) usually doesn’t work in an eclectic group of people or at least much less than German, Loire, Tokaji or Sauternes sweet wines.

Personally I too would avoid Port at a wedding! It depends on who’s coming, how many people, if they are wine fans or “normal” punters, what sort of wedding (lunch or dinner?) but I would tend to go for something lighter (and cheaper). Sweet wines can hit people for six anyway, especially since I imagine they will have had champagne, white and red wines beforehand, with more champagne to follow - I would go for a demi-sec champagne.

Thanks to all for these seriously helpful and thoughtful recs.

The consensus here that port will be less desired seems right. Might be fun to have a couple of bottles around for after dinner, but not to serve as a pairing. A shop in Cold Spring has a big stock of 85 Graham for $90 a bottle, and if we’re doing a small quantity that should be fine.

There will be some wine fans but as a whole not a group of aficionados. Bride has family heritage from Puglia region; have heard about a white made from Minutolo grape, only grown there, that sounds intriguing. Trying to source a bottle to see if it’s nice, as that might be another fun thing to serve.

Not sure yet if we will have a dessert other than cake, but for cake the demi-sec champagne rec strikes me as the right choice.

Depending on if there’s another dessert maybe a Sauternes or Loire wine would be the right choice, and either way fun to have some of the latter as well as port for people to have after dinner. I like Huet sec and would be curious to try the 1989 moulleux which sounds special.

1985 was an excellent year for German wines and I have had some very good Auslesen from the vintage. But, why not just go for a great vintage for one of the wines you are interested in. For example, 2001, 2011, 2014-6, etc. for Sauternes, 2001, 2010, 2015 or 2019 for German wines, etc. My guess is that your guests would rather have a good wine than a 1984 or 1985.

Why not mix the two?

2 parts 83 + 1 part 86 = 84.
1 part 83 + 2 parts 86 = 85.

Simple maths.

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1984 was an excellent if underrated vintage in California. Might be tough to source something in the price range, but worth looking for.
At a recent Zoom, we had a superb Graham 1983, just singing on the night, with fabulous balance and nicely integrated alcohol.