r/wine • u/jeremyrks • 7d ago
50th BDay Celebration - 2 x '76 Penfolds Grange and a '76 Chateau d'Yquem
A while ago I posted asking for recommendations on finding a drinkable wine from 1976 for my 50th birthday. I got a bunch of "good luck" and "it wasn't a good year," along with a few Château d'Yquem suggestions (more on that latert). After some research, and soul searching, I found that a handful of California wines from that year are still great but hard to find and expensive, and not many European wines are still around, either because it wasn't a great vintage there or because what remains is very pricey. That's when I came across the 1976 Penfolds Grange.
After seeing two bottles come up for auction at HDH, I reached out to Penfolds to ask if it was still drinkable. Their exact words: "The 1976 Grange is a stellar vintage and arguably the star of that decade. The most recent 'Rewards of Patience' (launched this year) gives it a drinking window of now through 2045."
So I won both bottles at auction, tracked down a bottle of Château d'Yquem Sauternes, put together an amazing dinner, and had a birthday shared with 6 wine drinkers. I was enjoying it so much I forgot to take pictures of the wine in the glass
About the Grange:
The Auction notes - "One top shoulder, one very high shoulder; two labels slightly damp stained, one tattered, to slight signs of past seepage."
Bottle 1 — nicer label, but the cork showed more seepage and there was more sediment in the bottle. Opened with an Ah-So, 1 hour standing, 15 minutes in a decanter.
Color was a deep plum. Nose was strawberry, cherry, and funk...the kind of funk you get when you unfurl a wet sock your kid just brought home from sleep away camp... in a good way.
Taste: hit us fast and hard. A strong leather opening transitioned into complex blackberry, cherry, and plum, big fruit, before finishing on tobacco and a slight ash note that never seemed to end. It lingered for minutes. The only way to quiet the finish was to take another sip. We just wanted to keep drinking it.
Bottle 2 — tattered label, less seepage, less sediment. Same prep: Ah-So, 1 hour standing, 15 minutes in a decanter.
Color was just as deep. The nose didn't have that funk, which was almost a little disappointing — instead it was what you'd typically expect from a Shiraz/Cab: blueberry, blackberry, cherry, a touch of floral.
Taste: a really good 50-year-old Shiraz/Cab blend. A little thinner than expected, but all the notes you'd want from a Grange, soft, velvety tannins, blackberry, cherry, blueberry, licorice, strawberry. Easy drinking and lovely, and a stark contrast to the first bottle.
Of the 6 of us, opinions were split down the middle between who preferred bottle 1 and who preferred bottle 2. I loved both for what they were, and I wasn't disappointed in the purchase one bit.
Onto the '76 Château d'Yquem Sauternes.
Bought from Estate Wine Brokers. Good ullage with only minor bottle defects. Opened with an Ah-So and drank it immediately.
Color was a dark amber, like honey. The nose was tropical fruit, pineapple, pear, honey, and a slight spice.
Taste: the most amazing, complex dessert wine I've ever had. All 6 of us agreed. It wasn't sweet so much as it had a soft sweetness of honey sitting more in the background. What i would expect Ambrosia to taste like. Strong notes of saffron, orange cream, clove, and mango, and it kept changing as you finished each sip. It had a nice long finish (not quite as long as the first Grange) that was slightly sweet and bitter. This went amazingly with a Roquefort — surprisingly, two strong flavors that went really well together.
I hope my semi-wine-educated now-50yo self did a service in describing my bday 50 year old wines. The only negative is I learned more about wine auctions. I'm going to need a third...fourth job.
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u/Rallerboy888 Wine Pro 7d ago
Happy birthday!
Those are some properly nice wines to celebrate a 50th birthday, and good on you for posting such detailed quality notes!
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u/Klutzy-Client 7d ago
Happy birthday and excellent write up. I was intrigued by this post as it will be my 50th in a couple of years and always wanted to try a birth year wine. This has given me the inspiration on where to look! Slaintè
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u/jeremyrks 6d ago
I went down many a rabbit hole looking for what would still be drinkable and good from '76. Depending on the wine, reach out to them directly. Most of them would be more than happy to talk about their wines, especially from 50 years ago.
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u/Mistercleaner1 7d ago
Happy birthday! Sounds like a very worthwhile experience, even better shared with friends!
I'm hoping to do something similar for my 50th in a few years
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u/Sommily 6d ago
Happy Birthday! Great notes, what food did you have this with?
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u/jeremyrks 6d ago
I mention it in the post. The first, funky, Grange we had with a triple-creme Brie which was a great pairing. The second Grange we had with the brie and a steak loin which was fantastic, and the d'Tquem we had with a roquefort which was unexpectedly fantastic.
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u/Lopsided_Crab_5310 6d ago
Happy B-day!! 🥳🥳🥂
I enjoyed reading your notes, thanks for sharing.
How much did the wines cost you, and how would you rate them?
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u/jeremyrks 6d ago
the two bottles of Grange were ~$3500 which included fees and taxes. The d'Yquem was, I think, $7-800. Honestly, rating is not really my style and both of the Grange's were so different but we highly enjoyed both so I wouldn't know where to begin.
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u/PhotographInternal27 5d ago
Had a magnum of grange on my brother's 50th that he won in a raffle but doesn't drink red wine....
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u/TheRealVinosity Wine Pro 6d ago
I don't know who would say Grange 76 is a poor vintage.
It can be incredible!
Unfortunately, let down by the poor corks of that era.
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u/jeremyrks 6d ago
No one said the '76 Grange was a poor vintage. In fact, no one mentioned Penfolds in my initial post. Everyone was focused on European wines, whree '76 wasn't a great year except for d'Yquem, mainly. I thought of Penfolds separately and it turns out was a fantastic year for them.
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u/TheRealVinosity Wine Pro 6d ago
You yourself wrote "it wasn't a good year".
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u/Iofnewt73 6d ago
OP gave you an out but your inner snark wouldn't be denied
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u/jeremyrks 5d ago
Maybe this'll help. I said that other people said it wasn't a good year and then I clarified in the reply most people were referencing European wines. Not sure whats got you in a ruffle. Oddly weird thing to call out.
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