During travels this summer I may search out a bottle or three from Mon Millesime in Beaune and/or Vinis Illustribus in Paris. Does anyone have a hit list of older vintages to seek and avoid? I also welcome feedback on these two retailers from those with experience and am interested in other suggestions as well.
loving 69,71,72,78,79 reds - have hope for a 76 this weekend…
I was hoping you would be hanging around. Please report.
BTW, if folks don’t want to talk about the retailers publicly, PM me
Hi Bill,
How about '83? I have a chance to pick up an '83 Rousseau Chambertin at a very sharp price. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Josh
For me, some great older vintages are 69, 71, 78 and 85. For some less heralded vintages, I have had very good wines from 76, 79, 80, 86, 86, 89 and 91. 83 was marked by hail and is a mixed bag - some really good, some horrible.
Note that there are a lot more good producers now than then. Be careful.
Great older vintages (that seem to have held up well)
'23, '29, '45, '47, '49, '57, '59, '62, '64, '66, '69, '71.
Sleeper vintage (GC’s) '92.
83’s were hard and tannic for a long time - Faiveleys still are 
Lots to enjoy there now. I’m also opening and 83 tomorrow too - 77 and 81 whites, 76 and 83 reds 
Very interesting Paul. Universally (GCs) better than expected or certain producers only? If producer dependent, which ones?
If I had to pick one of Bill’s list, I’d pick '78, followed by '71 and '85.
I also have had excellent luck with the '92s I’ve had, though they have been very reliable producer types - Rousseau, Dujac, DRC. I’ve had a wider group from '78s over the years and think they are excellent across the board.
I agree. I would pick producer first over vintage.
'64 and '69 -
For me, the last of the old school vintages -
Thomas,
I have had a number of 1969s (mostly a while ago) and only a few 1964s. I am very curious about what you mean by this. How do you differentiate vintages like 64 and 69 from more recent vintages like 1978, 1988, 1993, 2005 and 2010 that make you say this. Not at all disagreeing with you, just want to understand what you are saying.
I love 1983 reds. As Bill says they were not pleasing for a long time, and their brownish colors led people to think that they were damaged/rot impacted. I’ve never had one I was convinced was rot-impacted. (But their needing a full 25 years to hit their peaks led people along the way to conclude, erroneously, that they were problematic or even flawed.) Having said that, 1983s need careful cleaning of the sediment. When that happens and they have some aeration (not just leaving the bottle open)…they have provided, for me, some of the very best older RB experiences ever (along with 1978). Delicious sweet fruits, complexity galore and pleasure that ,as the 1983 vintage does, marks a transition from the “older” style of winemaking practiced by the domaines to the more modern, educated styles practiced by the Burgundy boomers…and taken even further today.
Rousseau, IMO, didn’t do great in 1983, but if you really can get a 1983 Chambertin at a sharp price, you cannot lose by picking it up. With the proper treatment…and the success Gevrey had in 1983…you won’t regret it. Just make sure to clean off the sediment, at the very least.
I think I might have to open one today for Valentine’s Day, in fact. I hadn’t planned to…
Thanks for the help, Stuart, and Bill, also,
I’ll report back if and when I consume,
Really appreciate it (and nice to know about the success of Gevrey in '83–I was doing a little Bordeaux back then, but no Burg)
Shame mine’s a Musigny - oh well… 
SWEET!
Please do let us know how it drinks, if you have a chance.
Scott,
Don’t be scared of the old Negociant wines that you may never have heard of from the great years as you generally get a very good run for your money. Look at vintages such as 29, 45, 49, 59, 61, 62, 64, 66, 69, 71 and 78. You will pay more for the so called great vintages but there is great value to be had outside of these. I have had very good wines from 43, 55, 57, 72, 76, 79, 80, 83 and 86. Even the absolute howler of vintages such as 65 and 75 can yield some pleasant surprises for a modest tariff.
Best Regards
Jeremy
I’ve been sitting here waiting.
What took you so long? 
Just been trying to keep the kids from killing each other. They have been very naughty this morning.