We're looking back to the 1980s with our latest vintage overview, highlighting the Napa Valley! Read through our summaries, then let us know: Have you had the opportunity to drink or taste many Napa bottles from the '80s? What's your favorite vintage from the decade? If you open these wines often, which years are drinking well right now?
Be on the lookout for more 1980s summaries soon. Which regions do you want us to cover?
I've been working in a cellar full of 80's Mondavi, Caymus, Clos du Val, BV, Montelena, Silver Oak, Duckhorn, Keenan, Beringer...you name it...for the past 3 years. All the wines (30 cases worth, including vertical vintages of each producer) came from the same private collection, which were cellared perfectly and consistently kept in temperature, without question. The treasure of getting to open these bottles is staggering, illuminating. They are nothing like the wines made under the same label 35-40 years later. Caymus below 13% alcohol is indicative of another world entirely, a different paradigm. All these wines throughout the decade, regardless of the vintage or producer generally come out between 12.5% to 13.5% ABV at the most. I could rave on about this forever, but the most impressive standout in terms of consistency and not having opened one faulty bottle out of at least 35 (including both Napa and AV) is Silver Oak. From the same collection,1977 magnums of Clos du Val are explosive, bottle after bottle. There's a winery in Sonoma County called Laurel Glen that tastes as good as any wine of its age within the same cellar. ***Doris Metropolitan New Orleans***