I took a chance on this when I saw it on Wine Bid, hoping that it had experienced good enough provinence to offer a slight bit of enjoyment on my birthday. I used my Durand to slowly remove the fully soaked and brittle cork, impressed that I got it out in one piece! A color check showed a beautiful garnet color with bricking on the edge. Everything was going perfectly, until I stuck my nose in the glass, getting a disappointed whiff of over the hill and way past prime aromas. My wife and family wouldn’t even take a sip after they smelled it. I took a sip and got a taste of what once was, but not anymore. It’s always a risk with 50+ year old wines and the experience and hope are always worth it! Until the next birth year wine.
1973 was a terrific vintage in Napa. Sterling Reserve and Caymus Cabs are awesome, given good storage. Mondavi Reserve is terrific, too. Best Cab I’ve had outside of Napa is Mount Eden. Ridge Geyserville is legendary. One could argue that it’s the best Geyserville ever made. Another great red is Joseph Swan Zin.
I was astounded by a 1973 Beychevelle that had had very good storage. Didn’t expect much, turned out great – really really good. I just checked wine searcher, and only available in Europe, but if you see it somewhere you should give it a try. My daughter’s birth year.
The bane of our hobby! And not limited to 50-year-old wines. This past week I popped two perfect bottles of 1965 birth year Cabs, only to be disappointed last night with a 1982 Trotanoy, from a bottle and fill level that looked perfect for a 1982.
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It’s not a great year at all in Bordeaux, it’s actually not even a very good year, but the 1973 Latour is excellent.
My birth year as well. Not a lot of great choices, and the few with great potential still are shockingly expensive.
Over the summer I lucked into 4 bottles of 1973 Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux and I am hoping they can hold the fort for a while. Very good odds with the vineyard and producer- but the wines, like us, are starting to get awfully old.
We opened a 74 Mondavi reserve last month < birth year for me> and it was a delight. Also a 79 Caymus which drank very well too. We have had a few bottles from early 70s that didnt make it past smell also. All our wine is stored as should be.
Sorry for slight thread hijack, but any rec for a decent / non-baller 62 birth year wine?
ChatGPT recs are exclusively in first growth bdx region which is too rich for me.
