So my 50th is coming up and I usually don’t do a whole lot for my birthday, but I thought it would be interesting to try some 1976 vintage offerings. Not the best year for wine from what I have read, but older vintage wine is still fascinating if it’s intact. We live near Berns and have explored the cellar birthday vintage offerings in the past.
With that in mind I have been collecting a few bottles here and there to come up with a fun experience. Photo represents some of what I have, along with some possible modern contrasts, but also picked up a 1976 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1976 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.
Thoughts are to possibly do a small get together and taste the ‘76 vs some modern vintages. Another idea is a full ‘76 dinner paired with a private catered meal. A lot of my friends may not fully appreciate the wine but would enjoy the experience. I also need a good bubbly intro.
Should I dial it back and pick one or two, or go gonzo yolo? Ha. Has anyone planned a milestone around a wine experience? What was it? Did it work? What would you do differently?
Genuinely interested in others stories. Seems like a fun expression of aging and reflections on the world and times past
Go gonzo. I hosted a milestone birthday for a 75 and did a flight of four reds (bdx and cali) and a rieussec for dessert and it was very interesting and enjoyable for both the serious and pseudo wine people. as you have lined up had some backup bottles ready to protect for the dead.
Awesome to hear. I feel like going big is the move, and have some ideas for vintage and modern backups (Moutons look the weakest). Any moments that stood out or were something you would amplify?
As my particular group was a mix of serious and pseudo so we did the red 75’s (4) as a more formal type format, with an appropriate starter course, but then just added a few other bottles and people drank what they liked for the actual meal.
For this group that worked well, the pseudos would have lost focus/interest in too much formal tasting, but were very interested and engaged in the novelty of the 75’s.
Hence I think it depends on your audience- but as it is your big day I think a little self indulgence seems OK.
I like the idea of having some main stream offerings for my guests. Leaves more for me… but do want a sense of exploration, and hopefully some enlightenment… ha! Maybe a bit much, but a a safety crutch and backup enjoyment. Certainly would want to offer decent juice.
We have a history of hosting some holiday parties and have an open bar of mid/upper range wine with a mix of varying levels of liquor. Always a bit shocked when no one pours the patron or rip, and the higher end wines never get touched. We took to opening many bottles to avoid the hesitation people may have to do so. Still end up with a lot of hesitation on higher end offerings.
Everyone asks how we have such a great bar offering and it’s honestly because no one dares to drink it. If I put it out, its fair game.
I want my birthday to be comfortable for everyone to be indulgent.
Agree, go gonzo! For my 50th I had 15 friends over my house and hired a chef to prepare and serve dinner for all of us. I had a bunch of Wines and everybody else brought Wines. Also, it was great. For my 60th I went quite a bit bigger. Had a party at my friend’s house in his backyard with about 40 people. This time went crazy with Flannery steaks, Alaskan king salmon, grilled shrimp, pulled pork and all kinds of other food prepared by a friend. Who’s a great cook. Again I brought a bunch of Wines as did all my friends and it was an awesome party. Big parties are great if you’re into having lots of friends around
Congrats on the upcoming milestone! For my 50th Birthday dinner last year, I chose to have a long dinner by myself at home with a 2019 Matrot Meursault 1er Charmes, 2014 Monfortino, and 2019 VCC. I don’t typically do this for my birthday, probably won’t for future milestones, and by definition it was selfish, but conceptually I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
In line with the other enablers who suggest going gonzo (according to each person’s definition), I’d perhaps have splashed a little more cash to swap out the VCC for something in its prime that I know I love but that’s about it. So pushing the boat out a little bit further out than you think you should, whatever you decide to do, might be my only suggestion.
Yup. Go Gonzo. I do that at all major milestones, and then some! You ain’t getting any younger, old man!!
Don’t worry about whether your friends or family appreciate these wines, the first order of business is gathering with friends and family to celebrate you! Pop your fun wines, it sparks conversations, and maybe you even convert people or introduce them to an experience they have never had. But also have other wines available for other palates. At my birthday back in November, I had a lot of champagne available as well, Cristal and Krug, plus had starter cocktails. Something for everyone.
I was also born in a crappy wine year, 1965. But I have found that there are some regions outside of what I normally drink, that actually performed quite nicely. Vintage port has been a winner for me in this vintage. And per your 76 Mouton, on my 50th I popped a 1965 Mouton. It was surprisingly quite nice though not revelatory in any sense. Like somewhere in the 88 to 89 point range, but was really more about the experience and the history.
OK, I’ll be the devils advocate. Those are some very nice wines to open for this group. Maybe pick a couple as special birthday bottles to open. But maybe offer a wider selection of other wine and drinks . You will have other future opportunities for the remaining birthday bottles. You’re young still.
Happy Birthday!
My advice would be not to overlook Champagne and lots of good fun white wines to get the party started. I don’t know that I would be pouring first growth Bordeaux, but definitely well above average memorable wines to share with wine, lovers and novices alike. I think dyquem for a dessert wine is a great choice and would be cool to expose some of the novices to see their reaction.
As others have said if you’re the type to enjoy this and it sounds like you are, you just wanna have a big memorable party with people you love and love being around to celebrate the milestone
I would save some of the higher end wines for another smaller more focused dinner group as an encore a few days later
But I would definitely include at least a couple of those high-end birth year Wines to mark the occasion with the bigger group
I would base the wine selection on the people I planned to invite.
If it’s mostly wine lovers that would geek out on a bunch ‘76s, I’d open a bunch of ‘76s.
If it’s mostly close friends I want to share the moment with but who aren’t into wine, I’d open one or two ‘76s and make the rest interesting and/or high end stuff that non-geeks would still like. I would save some of the ‘76s for a different time and place. Maybe to share with a group of wine nuts or for my 60th.
this