It is difficult to convey to young sommeliers today the significance that red Bordeaux once had in the wine world. In 2001, when the London wine trading platform Liv-ex introduced the global Fine Wine 100 price index, it accounted for 92 percent of trade. Currently, it stands at around 35.5 percent. Today, the Bordeaux en primeur market is dominated by talk of crisis, and young Bordeaux wines are struggling to find buyers. Nevertheless, as Robb Report reported, mature wines from the region are experiencing a boom on the auction market. There is, of course, a reason for this, or rather several reasons. Their low price compared to young wines. A high degree of “enjoyment security” combined with an inimitable style. And finally, their relatively good availability and enormous storability.
The early verdict of the critics
Shortly after graduating from high school, a 1982 Château Calon-Ségur ignited my passion for Bordeaux wines. The first vintage that I consciously tasted extensively and from which I purchased my first broader range of classified wines was 1986. At that time, I already had two sources that I relied on: Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate” and the German magazine “Alles über Wein” (All About Wine). In 1983, a young journalist there became the first German to publish tasting notes from Bordeaux’s En Primeur week. A few years later, he was already considered the “German Robert Parker”: Armin Diel – who later became a prominent winery owner and “Germany’s top wine critic” (FAZ). After a career that is probably unprecedented in German viticulture, he now organizes wine tours and, above all, top-caliber rare wine tastings. His invitation to me to participate in this event was a unique opportunity to get acquainted with a vintage that I had missed because of my youth.
How time flies: 40 years on, we now look back on 1985 as this year looked back on the 1945 vintage at the time!
1985 was a vintage with ideal picking conditions and a good harvest. “Only the unlucky or the incompetent ruined their 1985,” wrote Michael Broadbent. While the British wine critic named it the best vintage of the 1980s, others were more cautious. At the forefront was Robert Parker. Although he was not stingy with praise, he also made comments such as “amazingly developed” and “seductively appealing.” Compared to the 1982s and 1986s, they lacked their “consistency, power, or concentration.” The reference to the early drinkability and unapproachability of the following vintage led to the wines being consumed quickly. After 20 years, some wines seemed to be on their way out. Thus, the wines disappeared from cellars and tastings became increasingly rare. Wine Advocate hardly mentions any of the wines after 2016! In the meantime, however, the word “new plateau” or “second career” for the 1985s is making the rounds among collectors.
Flight 1: Cantemerle, La Lagune, Talbot (Magnum), Branaire-Ducru (Magnum), Beychevelle
The first flight brought together the only two Crus Classés from Haut-Médoc and the first of the two Saint-Julien trios. Château Cantermerle immediately made a statement. Ruby red with brick-red reflections in the glass, this was clearly a mature wine. Mature, but also intact, the bouquet featured plum, orange zest, leather, and cedar wood. Classic on the palate, with integrated acidity, slightly drying tannins, and a somewhat short finish (91p.). La Lagune presented itself with a denser red color, but was significantly more faded overall. The nose featured some smoke and leather, but almost no primary fruit. Actually a nice mouthfeel, but too high in acidity (87p.). Château Talbot starts off very reserved. Somewhat indistinct fruit aromas and slight vegetal notes follow. On the palate, it has a certain density, some warmth, and a certain sweetness. But here, too, the length is somewhat lacking, and after a while, a slight metallic hardness becomes noticeable (89p.).
Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru) displays an interesting red hue that reaches towards cola. Here, sweet red fruits and a hint of cookie dough can still be found on the nose. This is reminiscent of the “superficial charm and makeup” that Robert Parker spoke of in 1990. On the palate, one is reminded that the wine is already in its senior stage, but it is serene and currently good to drink (89p.). Château Beychevelle was the first highlight on the table. Cassis is still prominent on the nose, but there are also spice box and some wood. Very classic mouthfeel with a large, complex arc. Aromatic, “warm” fruit sweetness on the finish. A wine that “sings” (94p.). The tasting confirms the excellent impression I made with mature Beychevelles (such as an excellent 1966). But the current vintages are also in top form, as I was able to experience recently in Berlin during a vertical tasting (up to 2003) with estate director Philippe Blanc.
Flight 2: Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville-Poyferré, Gruaud-Larose, Montrose, Cos d’Estournel
We quickly moved on to the heavyweights. And that meant 2èmes Grands Crus Classés – starting with one that was dubbed a “super-second” at the time. This was because, in the opinion of some critics, it was on a par with the Premiers Crus and deserved an upgrade. Interestingly, this is a discussion that hardly anyone (at least on the left bank) engages in anymore. Unfortunately, the fear that Château Ducru-Beaucaillou might be affected by cork problems proved to be true. During a visit to the estate, owner Bruno Borie told me about the dramatic total renovation of the cellar at the time. In any case, the nose was challenging, with noticeable TCA. The structure was also not intact, with a hard, unpleasant mouthfeel (no rating). Château Léoville-Poyferré, on the other hand, presented itself as being in a transitional phase. Classic tertiary aromas on the nose. Perhaps without a very precise contour and somewhat reserved, but serious nonetheless. Also still well intact on the palate, with slightly lower acidity but noticeable reserves (90p.).
Château Gruaud Larose was the last wine from St. Julien. The following year, 1986, was to produce a spectacular wine, but 1985 also showed itself to be in very good form. Sweet and almost hedonistic on the nose. On the palate, however, it had a refined structure, good freshness, and a long finish (92p.). This was followed by two wines from Saint-Estèphe. Unfortunately, Château Montrose also faltered. In 1985, the winery was still far from the form that began with the monumental 1990 vintage. Here, too, there was a slight suspicion of cork. On the nose, at least, there were subtle hints of sour cherry and undergrowth. Difficult on the palate, where the wine abruptly breaks off in the mid-palate after a passable start (87p.). Château Cos d’Estournel was significantly better, but not great. The wine needed a lot of air before it revealed juicy fruit and five-spice spices, as well as a hint of lovage. On the palate, it had the typical wood-driven power of a Cos with present acidity. You have to like this style (90p.).
Flight 3: Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, Pichon Comtesse, Palmer, Rausan-Ségla, Margaux (Magnum)
This flight brought together the first two Grands Crus from Pauillac and the three representatives from the Margaux appellation. Château Duhart-Milon-Rothschild, a 4ème Cru, is sometimes regarded as a kind of second wine from Lafite. It shares the same winemaker, but it has its own unique terroir around the village of Milon, west of Château Lafite. The 1985 vintage showed an unorthodox aromatic balance between violets, sea buckthorn, hay, and cowshed. The body was lean and lively, with quite powerful acidity and somewhat harsh, drying tannins. Definitely needs to be paired with food (88p.). Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was one of the highlights of the entire evening. Very classic with cassis, graphite, leather, and cedar wood on the nose. On the palate, it had a wonderful texture, with finely polished tannins, acidity, and fruit spice perfectly balanced. Complex, with great length, wow (96p.)! It is remarkable that the wine has a very high proportion of 30 percent Merlot for a Pauillac.
Château Palmer kicked off the Margaux wines. It also had a classic bouquet, but tended a little more towards herbal spice. Everything was “comme il faut” on the palate as well, but overall it was strangely dull. Fine tannins, good acidity, but only passable complexity and no significant length. Not a great Palmer (92p.). The 2nd Cru Château Rausan-Ségla, on the other hand, was more difficult to assess. A rather fine nose, but disturbed by a prominent rust or blood aroma. The wine also seemed somewhat disharmonious on the palate, with a peculiar sweet-sour note that suggested faulty bottle development (87p.). Premier Cru Château Margaux in magnum presented itself in a magnificent, dense garnet red and was noticeably grateful for as much oxygen as possible. Beautiful, still somewhat austere structure, with high acidity and lively tannins (94p.). The wine was one of the first Margaux vintages after the rebirth under the Mentzelopoulos family. In magnum, it has not yet reached its full potential.
Flight 4: Lafite-Rothschild (magnum), Mouton-Rothschild, Latour, Domaine de Chevalier, Haut-Brion
The royal class begins with the three Pauillac Premiers Crus. Château Lafite-Rothschild also appears somewhat aloof in the magnum. In any case, it shows the purest expression of Cabernet Sauvignon of all the wines, already in the bouquet with lots of graphite and cedar. Due to the high acidity and still somewhat rough tannins, the expression remains strangely sparse and somewhat disharmonious (93p.). The dark core of Château Mouton-Rothschild indicates aging in 100 percent new wood. Unfortunately, not a perfect bottle: despite sweet spice notes, the nose is somewhat herbaceous and disturbed. Medium-bodied on the palate and lacking the pressure and complexity of a great Mouton (91p.). This was followed by a majestic Château Latour, which literally presented itself as an iron fist in a velvet glove. Still with some espresso and vanilla in the bouquet, very structured on the palate and with great length (96p.). This shows how difficult it is to assess Latour when young. Neal Martin wrote in 2016: “A Latour content to deliver the minimum” – and gave it 88 points.
This was followed by two wines from the Graves. Domaine de Chevalier was very harmonious, with a fine, sweet nose with notes of plum and cassis. A hint of liqueur suggested slight overripeness. Not overly concentrated on the palate, but juicy, drinkable and yet elegant (92p.). Then, in my opinion, the greatest wine made its appearance: Château Haut Brion (still without a hyphen in 1985). Perhaps the most refined and complex wine of the tasting, it had an unusually high Merlot content of 45 percent. This was complemented by 44 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 9 percent Cabernet Franc, and the remainder Petit Verdot. A “handkerchief wine,” as they say in Andalusia, with classic cedar and cassis aromas, but also delicate floral notes. Added to this was a silky texture that filled the entire palate. The wine does not overpower – and in this respect is the counterpart to Latour. For a moment, the wine transported us to the rococo magic of Versailles (97p).
Flight 5: Angélus (Magnum), Figeac, Petit Village, Le Pin (Magnum), Pétrus (Magnum)
Unfortunately, the magnum of Château Angelus also showed slight signs of cork taint. Although the bouquet had a lovely blueberry aroma, there was some hint of TCA. Unlike the Ducru-Beaucaillou, the structure was not damaged and the wine had a certain consistency and sweetness, but it lacked elegance and depth (91p). Château Figeac appeared almost rosé-like, light and transparent in the glass. Ripe on the nose, with hints of undergrowth and paprika, but also somewhat unclean. The body was a little worn, but still intact, with reasonable density and complexity (91p.). The first Pomerol of the evening, Château Petit Village, was a real showstopper. The bouquet had seductive notes of chocolate, coffee, and toffee, but was also somewhat wild with herbs and a hint of vegetables. On the palate, the wine showed great pressure and impressive length (94p.). For Armin Diel—and I agree—it was the “biggest surprise of the tasting!”
This was followed by two Pomerol titans, notably in magnum, which turned this great tasting into a truly magical moment. Château Le Pin was only founded in 1979 and produced just 600 cases. Fortunately, the host of the evening was the discoverer of this winery in Germany – and so Le Pin 1985 in magnum was presented to us. It was indeed a fantastically beautiful, hedonistic wine, with a surreal fruit perfume and a surprisingly transparent color. Armin saw it at the top of the tasting. I was a little more conservative (96p.) because of the somewhat lean structure on the palate. Pétrus appeared denser in the glass, with noticeable coffee and tobacco notes. Beautiful density and a certain warmth with still youthful tannins. Pétrus 1985 has always been a subject of debate among critics. Michael Broadbent found it “virtually perfect” – which Robert Parker responded to with clear incomprehension: “increasingly disappointing.” At least with regard to this bottle, I am somewhere in the middle (94p.).
Postscript and conclusion
Just over a month later, I was in Berlin’s KaDeWe hosting a Bordeaux Rarities Tasting on the theme of “The Great ‘5’ Vintages.” In addition to 1955, 1975, 1995, 2005, and 2015, wines from the 1985 vintage were also tasted, of course. Because they complement Armin Diels’s rarities tasting at the Golfhotel Stromberg, I would like to add my impressions here. Château Trotte Vieille, a bottle directly from the stock of the traditional Bordeaux trading house Borie-Manoux, its owner, presented itself very nicely. Surprisingly youthful, both in color and nose, finely matured, with medium complexity, but a lovely drinkability. It was somewhat overshadowed by an outstanding 1955 from the same house, but it was a beautiful surprise (93p.). Château Lynch-Bages 1985 then showed true class. The wine has always been considered one of the top wines of the vintage. On this evening, too, it displayed a sensual, expressive spicy fruitiness that makes it irresistible (95p.).
So what can we say about 1985 in conclusion? It can certainly be said that many wines have developed well beyond their originally predicted drinking window. However, not all of them. I would say that about five of the 27 wines have clearly passed their peak. For another five or so, I would say that tasters need a certain amount of experience with old wines in order to enjoy them without reservation. Five wines (Pichon-Comtesse, Latour, Haut-Brion, Le Pin, Lynch-Bages) were truly memorable. However, this tasting did not change the original diagnosis—a good vintage, but not a great one.
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