Saturday, January 5, 2008

Underrated Bordeaux Vintages

Generally speaking, I'm a big fan of buying "on vintage" for Bordeaux. That said, I've really fallen in love with the 1981 vintage. The Wine Advocate completely ignores the vintage entirely in his Vintage Chart. Ignores it. Not that I'm complaining, it makes for some easy pickings in the secondary market. Recently, I've had some effortless bottles of La Mission Haut-Brion and Ducru Beaucaillou. Classic Clarets both. They share delicate, sophisticated aromatics and glide with a gentle finesse across the palate.

Maybe it's time to rethink my vintage bias? Probably not, given the prices of Bordeaux these days. Better to be safe than sorry, but when you find that hidden gem...

1 comment:

Lyle Fass said...

All the first growths are stunning in 1981. Not blockbuster-stunning but harmonically-stunning. Margaux and Haut-Brion shine for me.