Over the years I have been lucky enough to have had some really wonderful wines from some really wonderful vintages. This luxury was afforded to me while I worked in the high end wine auction industry. There was the amazing 1966 Chateau Canon La Gaffliere with my father. There was that exceptional 1964 Lafite with Mike and Claudia. I’ll never forget the best bottle I have ever had, the 1964 Lafleur I had at Thanksgiving in 2006. Some bottles are so amazing, they simply cannot be forgotten. The grandeur that comes from drinking first growth Bordeaux is simply unparalleled in the wine world. First growths are hard to come by and difficult to afford though, so I wanted to give some credit to a few of the slightly lesser known Bordeaux. Most are considered second growths but can go all the way through to the fifth growths. I wanted to take some time to salute a bunch of vintages I have had and loved consistently. For the sake of argument, I am leaving out Pomerol. That is for another blog for another day.
2003, The Fruit Bomb

The 2003 Cos d'Estournel is one of my favorite bottles. (different vintage pictured)
2003 is by far my favorite year to drink when it comes to Bordeaux. It was a hot summer, with little rainfall. This caused the grapes to be very concentrated, very strong, and have a high sugar content.  Winemaking was almost easy this year. Every 2003 I have ever had was a big fruit bomb, forward, backward, and on the nose. They will be dying out soon though, as the 03’s aren’t expected to age well or for very long so there is a limited time left before there is no point in keeping them. The window will probably close around 2012-2014, giving us drinkers less then a decade to enjoy this noble vintage. 2003’s is still relatively easy to get too. My three favorites were Chateau Cos d’Estournel (St. Estephe), Chateau Pontet Canet (Pauillac), and Chateau Palmer (Margaux). All three exhibited the fruit forwardness of 2003 and all three are rated in the mid 90’s by the best of the critics.
2000 and 2005, The Twin Vintages
2000 and 2005 produced some of the most valuable wines from Bordeaux. The seasons’ weather was long and perfect. There was the perfect amount of sunshine and the rain came when it was optimum for the grapes, mainly at the end of the season. Not only were grapes in great condition, but they were nicely sized and concentrated with appropriate amounts of sugar and water and were on the vine for an abundant amount of time. These vintages are capable of aging for three to four decades and simply should not be drunk before 2020. This being the fact, I have not had a ton of these wines, especially the 2000’s, as they are considered to be worth more than the 2005’s. Serious wine collectors consider drinking these now to be “infanticide†because they have not been given enough time to evolve in to the wine they will eventually become. The 2000’s I enjoyed most were the 2000 Chateau Leoville Las Cases (St. Julien) and the 2000 Chateau Pichon Lalande (Pauillac). But again, I have had less then ten of the great 2000’s. The 2005’s are a different story though, as I was once invited to a 2005 tasting. All wines at this tasting had been decanting for about 12 hours as to give them some time to open up and breathe. The 2005’s are as amazing as the 2000’s in balance, structure, and complexity. The flavors are out of this world too. My favorite 2005’s were the Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Haut Medoc), Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Haut Medoc), and the Chateau Haut Brion (Graves). This probably does not come as a surprise as these represent the most prestigious wines known to man, but there were other 05’s that were almost as good and rated nearly as high. They included the 2005 Chateau Talbot (St. Julien), Chateau Montrose (St. Estephe), and Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou (St. Julien). Most of these wines are rated in the high 90’s by professional tasters. One can still obtain these beauties, but it is getting harder and harder.
1990, The Professional’s Favorite Vintage

The 1990 Montrose is a famous bottle
1990 is the year all the wine world talks about and compares current wines to as a standard of excellence. 1990 Bordeaux has the most 100-point scores of any vintage. 1990 has similar weather to 2000 and 2005, but has had the extra time in the bottle to age and evolve. Many 1990’s go for thousands of dollars per bottle. This vintage was so good that even a second growth classification got a 100-point score. That score went to Chateau Montrose. And since it is not a first growth, you can still get this 100-point wine for under $600 per bottle! I have had this wine more than once and it is truly a masterpiece. It was unforgettable. 1990 is a coveted vintage and very difficult to obtain. I have had the pleasure of trying not only the Montrose, but many others. They were all great. The critics tend to be very friendly toward 1990, as most are rated in the high 90’s as well.
The 1980’s
Many vintages are sought after, and the 1980’s were a particularly prized decade. 1989, 1988, 1986, and 1982 are all considered to be well above average vintages of Bordeaux. Wines can fetch big bucks in the 80’s. I have always loved the 1982’s specifically. The 1982 Lafite is a 100-point wine and is every bit as good as the famous 1990 Montrose, but is double the price since it is a first growth classification. These wines are also hard to come by and are very expensive.
1970, Forty Years Old!

Chateau Calon Segur, a great bottle from 1970 (Different vintage pictured)
1970 happens to be my favorite old wine vintage with 1964 being a close second. The season of 1970 allowed for optimum aging. Bottles from this vintage are finally opening up to be some of the best wines around right now. The 1970 Chateau Calon Segur (St. Estephe) and the 1970 Montrose are two of the best from this vintage. Their age allows the tannins to practically disappear and smooth out the wine. Their flavors have meshed together and what you get in your glass is a beautiful combination of smooth layers, immense complexity, and wonderful, aged flavor. There is not a lot of this wine left, but it is still cheaper than previous vintages, as for some reason they were never really rated all too high.
Every vintage offers something different. Some vintages are known for how horrible they turned out to be too. Take 1987 for example. No one will ever seek out a 1987 because it is know to be bad vintage. Knowing vintages can make the shopper a more educated consumer when buying wine off the shelf. A little research with regards to region and vintage can make a big difference in the glass. One doesn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on first growths to know that good wine is all about the vintage.