I recently acquired a 1985 Georges Latour and was looking up the WS ratings for the vintage. I think I'm really confused. Saw several earlier reviews raving about the vintage (like the 2000 review which rated it a 96), but the latest was really negative and rated the vintage a 82. Is this because the wine is way past it's peak, or is there something else going on?

When you say "WS ratings" do you mean professional WS scores, or the scores issued by people in this forum?

I drank a bottle of this a few months ago. It was delicious. I have 5 more bottles that I plan to drink within the next year or two.

Relax, enjoy, and post your tasting notes.

I had a bottle about 2 years ago, and it was on the decline, but still very enjoyable. I am not sure who rated it 82, but if it was James Laube, he seems to like his wines young. I notice that he rates wines in decline more negatively than I do.

If you aren't sure about the provenance of your bottle, I would plan to drink it over the next year or two. Otherwise, if you know that it was stored properly, and you are storing it properly, it is a great bottle and you should find a suitably great occasion to enjoy it.

Or, maybe whoever rated it had an off bottle.

I have some 1997's and it's drinking great now but the wine has fleshed out and the tannins have become non existant. I'm gonna drink the rest over the next year. Havn't had the 1985 but I would expect would have hit its peak by now. I called a friend of mine who has some BV Gdl from the early 80's and he was of the opinion they still had some nice fruit but should be drank up.

Depending on storage the 85 BV GDL is a stand out. The last bottle I had, which was a few years ago, was an easy 95 points.

You are right on the scores by WS, this wine scored in the mid to high 90's up to the last score of 82 by Laube. Must have been an off bottle or the wine fell off a cliff, which I find hard to believe. It is certainly in the drinking window so best way to find out is to pop and drink.

I recently picked up some of the 91s and 93s thru K and L.. $29 and $39 respectively.. While the 93 is drinking really well, the 91 has a lot of life, lots of nice fruit. Wow, are they drinking nicely right now...

Glad to hear the 85s are still in the zone, what was the color? Neither was bricking at their opening and still showed good fruit, mellow tannis and nice velvety finishes to them..

Cheers

Did you prefer the 91 or 93?

I bought the 1985 from the BV Wine Library in Napa and it's been stored ever since in my cellar at 57 degrees, so hopefully it'ff still be in decent shape. Saving in for a special trip to visit friends this fall (guys who'll appreciate the special effort). I'll let you know how it goes.

It should be fine. Until BV was sold, after the 1986 or 1987 vintage, I believe, the wines were built for the long haul. I had the 1970 and 1974 last year and they were outstanding.

I can't help you in the 1985 BV, but I recently had the 1958 BV GDL, it was the best wine I have ever had. I doubt the 1985 will go as long as the 1958, but you have my curiosity. Next time I am in Napa, I might see what the BV Library has for sale.

Close to two months ago, I got to taste the '04 BV GDL, excellent wine, but I do not see it lasting more than 12 to 15 years at best.

quote:

Originally posted by PetiteSyrahFan:


Close to two months ago, I got to taste the '04 BV GDL, excellent wine, but I do not see it lasting more than 12 to 15 years at best.

Agreed, that should be enough time to polish off my 20 remaining bottles.

Just got a '79 last week for our wedding. Doesn't look like much, as far as points but it will still be enjoyed soon.

The 1979 was the best young BV GdL I ever had, but that was a long time ago. I hope you'll post tasting notes on it.

Has anyone sampled the 1985 GdL from 375ml bottles? Just wondering as I have several of these which I obviously should pop. Tom

I have enjoyed this wine over a dozen times and when it is good it is very good but I purchased some of this wine at different times and found some bottle variation with some bottles just so so. Open it, drink it and share your notes with the group. Most of us are friendly!

Yeah that's a good idea, gotta pull them out of storage. I don't know if this happens to other folks, but I notice that the wines I have in off site storage tend to get older than the ones I have at my fingertips. A combination of laziness and busyness I guess. These particular bottles were purchased on release, in I guess around 1987, and have always been perfectly stored, so maybe they'll be impressive in spite of the small format. When I get around to getting my hands on them and taste them I will post my impressions as you suggest. Tom