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Chris Sprague
 
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Default 1975 Birthday Wine

My brother is turning 30 this year (06 May), and being a fellow wine
drinker, I felt that it would be nice to get him a bottle of wine from his
birth year - 1975 (and I hope he doesn't read this NG!).

From what I understand, 1975 was only a vintage in the Duoro due to the
threat of nationalization, so Ports from 1975 are on the light side and may
be nearing or past the end of their lives. I'd still consider one if I was
reasonably sure that it would be worth drinking.

Bordeaux seems to be very tannic, though some seem to be showing well.
Some of my contenders here a

Ch. Gloria
Ch. Talbot
Branaire Ducru

I would not rule out wines from other regions/countries. Both of us have
varied tastes, and in addition to Port and Bordeaux, he is particularly fond
of Brunello and Rioja, if that helps. I'm looking to keep it under $125 or
so, if possible.

Thanks!

- Chris Sprague


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Cwdjrx _
 
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I am not a big fan of most of the red Bordeauxs from 1975, although
there are some decent ones and many have lasted well. However the
Sauternes from 1975 can be outstanding. Since a little Sauternes can go
a long way, you could consider the 1/2 bottle size. The outstanding
Yquem may be over your price limit, but Climens and Suduiraut are also
outstanding, and many of the others are not far behind. Finding a good
75 red or white Burgundy is likely to be risky. There were a lot of top
German Rieslings made in 75, but only the best auslesen and higher
grades are likely to be of interest now in most cases. A few 75
Champagnes were outstanding, but only the best such as Krug are likely
to be interesting now, and these are likely over your price limit. A few
of the best Brunellos from 75 are still holding well, but some of these
likely are over your price limit. Some of the 75 Tokaji Aszu , 5 putts
or higher, is very good and still holding well. The 75 Oporto was a bit
weak in general, but The Taylor has been reported to be very good with
many years of life left. The 75 Cabernet Sauvignon from California was a
bit weak in general, but a few of the best ones are still of interest.
Some of the 75 Australian reds probably have lasted, but I do not have
information about them at hand.

Of course storage is all important for wines nearing 30 years of age, so
you must be extremely careful about the source of your wine.

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Michael Pronay
 
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"Vincent" > wrote:

> Are the Parker ratings current?


The wines are from his latest Bordeaux book, from the beginning,
where he assesses the vintages in depth, and where he lists the
most successful wines. (I did not put down the first growths,
however, because they obviously transcend the buyer's budget.)

M.


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Bill Spohn
 
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From Michael's notes:
>> From those that Parker recommends, these are the ones that I would
>> put on the safe side:
>>>> Cos, Haut-Marbuzet, Lynch-Bages, Pichon-Lalande Ducru,>> Léoville-Barton

and Las Cases, Talbot, Haut-Brion, La Mission,>> Canon, Troplong-Mondot.

Michael - you omitted some nice drinkers. The 75 Beychevelle and Branaire
continue to hold up, and even modest wines like the Boyd Cantenac and Gloria
offer pleasure. The Barton is now drinking well, and the LasCases has only come
around in the last couple of years - no rush there!

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Bill Spohn
 
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> (I did not put down the first growths,
>however, because they obviously transcend the buyer's budget.)


So does the absolutely killer La Mission! If you can find it for less than $500
US you are doing well.
  #8 (permalink)   Report Post  
Vincent
 
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"Michael Pronay"...

> The wines are from his latest Bordeaux book, from the beginning,
> where he assesses the vintages in depth, and where he lists the
> most successful wines. (I did not put down the first growths,
> however, because they obviously transcend the buyer's budget.)
>
> M.


I might like to purchase this book, depending on what it contains.

What (if anything) does it say about 1966 Pichon-Baron?
What (if anything) does it say about 1975 La Lagune?

Thanks in advance


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Cwdjrx _
 
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Michael Pronay states: "Don't know about the whites, but *avoid* the
reds. 1975 was a terrible vintage: rot, rot, rot. I don't think any
really long lasting red Burgundy was made."

I do not recall ever tasting a 1975 red Burgundy. They had a terrible
repution in the US. However some of the whites were not bad if carefull
selected. I did not mention any, because even the best likely are too
old and/or expensive for the birthday wine. I did taste the 1975 Le
Montrachet from Thevenin. Unfortunately my notes are marked only R.
Thevenin, and there is Rene and Roland, so I am not sure which applies
to the wine I tasted. At one time Roland T. had exclusive distribution
rights for the D. de Ch. de Puligny-Montrachet wines, which included 1/5
ha of Le Montrachet. I believe this tiny plot of Le Montrachet was
bought by DRC quite a while ago. Anyway the wine I had at about 7 years
old was rather concentrated and had considerable merit, but it was a
little flat, and I doubt very much if it would be worth drinking today.

I also had several bottles of Moreau's Clos des Hospices 1975 Chablis.
This was very hard and austure at first. It required about 10 years to
develop and was still drinking well at 15 years. But again, I doubt if
it would be of much interest now.

Of course in Bordeaux, Petrus 1975 has a very high reputation by many,
but the price is so high that I did not mention it.

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Dale Williams
 
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A couple of '75 Bdx I've found to be quite good (and reasonably inexpensive)
have been the Talbot and the Gruaud-Larose.

Even less expensive, I was shocked that a '75 Giscours was showing well, as
it's not a favorite estate. But definitely at 'drink up" stage.

And on the slightly pricier end, my note re the 1975 Palmer from few months
ago:
-slightly "high-toned", but amazing complex and complete wine. Still a touch
tannic, but great fruit balancing some apparent acidity, and loads of secondary
aromas of leather, tobacco, and more. I recently told someone that to my tastes
Palmer is overrated, as even top vintages like 1983 have left me unmoved. Can't
say that anymore. My WOTN


Dale

Dale Williams
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Dale Williams
 
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PS Obviously with 30 year old wines, provenance and bottle condition are
everything!
Dale

Dale Williams
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Michael Pronay
 
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"Vincent" > wrote:

[Parker's "Bordeaux"]

> What (if anything) does it say about 1966 Pichon-Baron?


"It is impossible to find a first class wine between 1961 and
1981" (my retranslation from the German edition).

> What (if anything) does it say about 1975 La Lagune?


"Some vintages of the 1970s can be surprising, especially when
stored impeccably: The 1978, always first class (88/100, l.t.
2/89), the 1976 (88/100, l.t. 12/89), the 1975 (87/100, l.t.
1/01), and the 1970 (87/100, l.t. 1/01 from a magnum). They were
all solidly vinified, classic Clarets that still can provide much
leasure, provided the bottles were kept decently. The 1960s were
largely disappointing. (Same remark.)

Given that Robert Parker is quite strict with translations, I
guess this very much should come near to the original.

Can anybody veryfy? (My own English copy seems to have vanished
for the moment).

M.
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Cwdjrx _
 
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Clive Coates gave extensive Bordeaux rating charts in the September 2004
issue of the vine. He rates on a 20 point scale. Here are the 1975 reds
that he rated 17 or above. All are ready to drink, but most should hold
a while longer. I find Coates tends to fall between Parker and Broadbent
in his likes in wines.

Latour 18; Haut-Brion 18.5; Cheval Blanc 18.5; Petrus 19.5;
Grand-Puy-Lacoste 17.5; Lynch-Bages 17.5; Leo. Las Cases 17.5;
Gruaud-Larose 17; Ducru-Beaucaillou 17; Palmer 19; Montrose 17;
La-Mission-Haut-Brion 19.5; Canon 17.5; La Conseillante19.

But many of the 1975s did not turn out very well. Here are some of
Coates' low ratings: Lafite 14; Margaux 13; Pichon-Baron 12;
Duhart-Milon 12; Lagrange 12.5; Brane-Cantenac 12; Cantmerle 12; Clos
L'Eglise 12.5.

Buying 1975 shortly after relase turned out to be very risky. And the
hype in the US about the oustanding "classic" 1975 vintage led many to
pay very high prices for Lafite and such.



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Ron Lel
 
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"Bill Spohn" > wrote in message
...
> From Michael's notes:
>>> From those that Parker recommends, these are the ones that I would
>>> put on the safe side:
>>>>> Cos, Haut-Marbuzet, Lynch-Bages, Pichon-Lalande Ducru,>>
>>>>> Léoville-Barton

> and Las Cases, Talbot, Haut-Brion, La Mission,>> Canon, Troplong-Mondot.
>
> Michael - you omitted some nice drinkers. The 75 Beychevelle and Branaire
> continue to hold up, and even modest wines like the Boyd Cantenac and
> Gloria
> offer pleasure. The Barton is now drinking well, and the LasCases has only
> come
> around in the last couple of years - no rush there!


Also the '75 Montrose is drinking superbly now, in contrast to 10 years ago.
The Beychevelle is not as good as it once was, though is still a reasonable
drink.

Ron Lel


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Eric White
 
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If you are interested in veering away from Bordeaux for a moment, the
1975 Sterling Reserve Cab is an amazing wine right now. Premier Cru
was recently selling magnums for $129 - I do not know if they are
still available.

All the best,

Eric White
--
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Cwdjrx _
 
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Eric White wrote "If you are interested in veering away from Bordeaux
for a moment, the 1975 Sterling Reserve Cab is an amazing wine right
now. Premier Cru was recently selling magnums for $129 - I do not know
if they are still available."

I had a bottle of the 75 Sterling Reserve a few months ago that had been
properly stored, and it still was holding well. Both BV Private Reserve
and Robert Mondavi Reserve 75 CSs were still holding well just a few
years back. I drank most of my 75 CSs many years ago, as most of them
did not seem to have the structure for very long aging.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
from my email address. Then add . I do not
check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.

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Chris Sprague
 
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Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> Eric White wrote "If you are interested in veering away from Bordeaux
> for a moment, the 1975 Sterling Reserve Cab is an amazing wine right
> now. Premier Cru was recently selling magnums for $129 - I do not

know
> if they are still available."
>
> I had a bottle of the 75 Sterling Reserve a few months ago that had

been
> properly stored, and it still was holding well. Both BV Private

Reserve
> and Robert Mondavi Reserve 75 CSs were still holding well just a few
> years back. I drank most of my 75 CSs many years ago, as most of

them
> did not seem to have the structure for very long aging.
>
> My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
> from my email address. Then add . I do

not
> check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.



Thank you so much for all of your replies. I have been gone for most
of the past week, as my father suffered a heart attack and needed
emergency bypass surgery. Looks like he's going to be ok - I'll buy
him a nice tannic red for his coming home present

In any case, the point about storage and bottle condition is well
taken. I have no idea what the reputation of the vendors listed on
wine-searcher are, so are there any in particular that you can
recommend, and also some to avoid at all costs?

Thanks again.

- Chris

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Chris Sprague
 
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Cwdjrx _ wrote:
> Eric White wrote "If you are interested in veering away from Bordeaux
> for a moment, the 1975 Sterling Reserve Cab is an amazing wine right
> now. Premier Cru was recently selling magnums for $129 - I do not

know
> if they are still available."
>
> I had a bottle of the 75 Sterling Reserve a few months ago that had

been
> properly stored, and it still was holding well. Both BV Private

Reserve
> and Robert Mondavi Reserve 75 CSs were still holding well just a few
> years back. I drank most of my 75 CSs many years ago, as most of

them
> did not seem to have the structure for very long aging.
>
> My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
> from my email address. Then add . I do

not
> check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.



Thank you so much for all of your replies. I have been gone for most
of the past week, as my father suffered a heart attack and needed
emergency bypass surgery. Looks like he's going to be ok - I'll buy
him a nice tannic red for his coming home present

In any case, the point about storage and bottle condition is well
taken. I have no idea what the reputation of the vendors listed on
wine-searcher are, so are there any in particular that you can
recommend, and also some to avoid at all costs?

Thanks again.

- Chris

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