I think you’re spot on - definitley seen the prices creep up recently. Still deals to be had vs. My wife’s birth year of 78. Really have to pay to play with that vintage.
DRC did great in 1980. I had RC and LT, one bottle of each, each purchased for $100, and loved them. Those were the days!
I’ve had some really nice bottles of the Guigal Landonne not so long ago - think I have 1-2 somewhere… Vietti believe it or not can be good also. The '80 Caymus SS is a sturdy wine for sure - should be fun to try if you can find it.
I was looking through my inventory, and there were a few weird ones. My beloved Sobrero Barolo, some Chevillon including a Denis Chevillon, and the best one, a Penfolds Bin 80a, a serious rarity.
The way I rationalize it is that DRC are really missing out for not having hot, young consumers like us today ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Dow’s Vintage Port is great. One of the best of the decade. All of the Symington brands did well, Grahams, Warres, Smith Woodhouse, Gould Campbell. Still inexpensive. Taylor, Fladgate brands were less impressive with the exception of Fonseca.
Love hearing that! I have most of those but have not opened one yet. Would you say they’re ready to go, or ideally let em rest a little longer? Thanks!
Bought the DRC Grands Echezeaux for $35. Fabulous wine.
We’re having that on Thursday! Alongside Ponsot CdlR and Georges Mugneret Ruchottes. Quite excited, I never had the '80 GE before…
Yes, and it’s actually ready to drink!
Southern Rhônes can be a nice surprise, Fortia Tête de Cru is nice and still full of fresh fruit, albeit not on the level of the heights that cuvée hit in the 1970s.
Also great for white Burgundy (maybe the best ever Leflaive vintage, rivaled only by 1979 for me) and very good indeed for Champagne.
It has been a very, very long time since I had this wine ($35 seems unbelievably expensive in the early 1980s) but it was truly fabulous back then. I hope that it has continued to be great and that you love it.
Here is a fun idea on the birth year theme: go with the Chinese zodiac years. In your case, you are Year of the Monkey. So that means 1968, 1980 (suggestions above), 1992 (white burg stands out in my mind), 2004 (champagne?), 2016 (Côte de Nuits reds).
This concept can make for a fun dinner with wines at various states of maturity.
Adjusted for inflation that would be $110 today. I understand that the standards for what was expensive or not back then were much different.
80 Ponsot CdlR is also awesome. At least was.
Late to the party, but celebrated my birthday this weekend with 80 Montelena Estate from mag and an 80 DRC Echezeaux. Both were off the charts. If I could find more 1980 burg from good producers, I’d buy them.
And plenty of safe bets in Napa in 1980.
I would have a lot of DRC Grands Echezeaux if it sold for $110.
I remember liking some 1980 California wines, esp. BV Private Reserve and Jordan, but have no idea what has held up. I don’t think I have ever had the 1980 Montelena (have danced around it having 1978, 1982, 1984, etc.) but not the 1982. What 1980s are still good today?
I’ll copy my list from up thread - not all napa, but from CA. Sound bottles of BV Georges are still great- especially out of magnum. In addition to the below, Duckhorn cab a few years back was still solid, and a Montevina cab a few months back was decent (out of a rough bottle with seepage), but tasted more like an aged zin (maybe more because of the producer and Amador fruit?)
-Heitz Chardonnay (unbelievably color and still fresh. Still have 1 left along with a Montelena that I’m excited about
-Nevada City Winery Zinfandel (unheard of winery but it was incredible)
-Ridge Geyserville
-Ridge Zin Howell Mountain
-BV Georges de Latour (killer out of magnum but great out of standard bottles as well)
-Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon from magnum
-Carneros Creek Cabernet
-Wente Vineyards Petite Sirah Library, Livermore Valley
-Inglenook Petite Sirah
Red Burgs (if you can find them) as mentioned have been really lovely. I’ve also had success with some Napa Cabs like Diamond Creek and some other classics. This past may I opened a Cappellano for my 40th and it was killer. I’ve also come across some other Piedmont wines from 80 and have been pretty happy with them.
Of course, I do like to joke that 78 and 82 average out to 80 and that allows for some more options 