Poll: Worst Bordeaux Vintage 1980-2013

Which Bordeaux vintage below is the worst in your view?

Which Bordeaux vintage below is the worst in your view?

I think some of the ones you’re suggesting are in the running for ‘worst’ are really more average/ok/solid than ones that should even be in the running. 2012 for example.

Some like 1992 really were awful though, and the ability to use technology to make the best of it wasn’t as widespread as it is in more recent poor years.

According to Mr Leve, 91 at 65 points is one of the worst ever:

Judging “off” vintages is a hazardous sport. As Arv rightly says, there are several in the list that many, including myself, would not consider off at all. Even the other ones had their day, so are they being judged on their merits today or on the merits they had during their drinking windows? For example, 1980 was fun at one time but I wouldn’t go near any wines today. In the past, such vintages were actually good news because they were cheap and accessible earlier than the good ones.

If you want some really seriously awful ones you have to go back a little further in time - 1965 or 1969 for example - I can’t imagine they ever tasted better than horrible.

Flawed poll, lacking a “NONE OF THE ABOVE” option.

I though you would opt for 1990

Who were the freaks who reaĺly thought 1993 to be better than 1994

For me it’s 1991 … the are some really nice wines made in 1992, recently Tertre-Roteboeuf

2013 may be worse as a vintage, but the winemaking was better …

It has to be 2013, especially when you factor in that, despite all the resources available in 2013 that weren’t available in 1984, the vintage was still atrocious. I think the wine of the vintage in 2013 is Le Pin, and if you look into that you will see why.

Because it went into the extremely overpriced Trilogie? I fail to see the logic

I actually really like 1994s!!!

He’s not wrong. Just a ghastly vintage on a lot of levels.

I can’t believe anyone would vote for 1994 here. A lovely, classic vintage.

+1. They were cheap and some pretty good wines were made. It’s a very old-school Bordeaux vintage. Not for Napa fans, probably.

1984 was certainly not good, but there were quite a few wines that drank well for 15+ years: Pichon-Lalande, Cos, LynchBages, LMHBrion, Domaine d Chevalier, LasCases, Poujeaux - the wines were quite hard and charmeless, but medium bodied, while most 1991s were simply green and thin. (2 or 3 exceptions)

Good to see you’re on your game Victor. We can always count on you for consistency while all others add their various bits and bobs.

A lot of these vintages haven’t been very available in the US. I don’t remember seeing 1991s or 1992s in stores, or perhaps I just ignored them as the vintages already had very poor reputations). I never tasted a 1992 until last year when I had the Magdelaine, which is pretty good (there’s a thread somewhere where Tom Reddick and I discussed it).

I remember having a few decent 1984s way back, including LLC and PLL. I bought a case of 1987 PLL and drank it over 15 years or so. They were quite good.

I’ve also only had one 2013, La Conseillante, which is decent but I wouldn’t rush to buy it even at a discounted price.

I voted 2002 only because I don’t have the breadth of experience you boffins have. I can’t recall a single 2002 Bordeaux I even remotely enjoyed, finding all of them grotty and worthy of the dustbin. Sad, really, as the surrounding years were charming.

Isn’t 01 which which is missing generally thought inferior to 02?

I bought a case on the Clerc Milon 2002. I thought they were very nice and the price was right.

01 is super.