Decanter’s guide to anniversary buys 2019

In search of that special bottle to mark a celebration in 2019? Look no further, as Anthony Rose offers advice on which wines and vintages will make ideal gifts for this year’s celebrations

Your daughter is 21 and likes wine. But what was 1998 like as a vintage, and should it be 1998 Château Lynch-Bages or Dom Pérignon Champagne? Or maybe it’s your parents’ ruby wedding anniversary and you can’t decide what would be a more fitting gift: tawny Port or Champagne? Was 1979 a great year for Champagne and will it roll back the years of memory?

In general the finer the wine, the greater its ageing potential, especially in larger formats. But wine is not painting or sculpture – it’s a ticking microbiological time bomb that changes over time. The further you travel back in time, the frailer the wine you’re after will be, the more issues of condition and provenance come to the fore – and the harder the wine will be to track down. For good reason, sweet and fortified wines such as Banyuls, vin doux naturel, Port, Sherry and Madeira might just be the ticket in a venerable anniversary year.Indexed by year in categories of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône, Italy, Spain and the New World, auction catalogues are a useful starting point in the hunt for older wines. The watchword is caveat emptor – condition can be a gamble with no logbook to show one careful owner. Sales of wines direct from the château or domaine give a greater assurance of reliable provenance and condition than potentially dodgy mixed cases or 11-bottle lots.Look to a trusted wine broker prepared to go out of their way to secure the wine you’re looking for, to come up with suggestions and do their best to guarantee condition. Be guided then by the likes of Albany Vintners, BI Wines & Spirits, Clos & Cru, Farr Vintners, Fine & Rare, Richard Kihl or Wilkinson Vintners, and not forgetting BBX, Berry Bros & Rudd’s fine wine broking exchange, linking individuals to mature fine wines from BBR customers’ stock. A good search engine such as www.wine-searcher.com is a must, preferably the ‘Pro’ (rather than the free) version.

If you’re really stuck, you can always resort to personalised 40th ruby, 50th golden or 60th diamond wedding anniversary bottle labels from Amazon, and stick them on your favourite bottle of Prosecco or Beaujolais Nouveau. Just don’t expect it to earn you undying gratitude from any self-respecting Decanter reader.

18th (2001)

My Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2001 is the case that keeps on giving. That’s what you’re hoping for from a really good case of wine. Rhône and Loire specialist Jason Yapp’s younger son was born in 2001 and Yapp was so impressed with the vintage that he went long on Châteauneuf-du-Pape magnums from Beaucastel, Le Vieux Donjon and Vieux Télégraph. He also has bottles of Domaine du Pégau and Château Rayas that are holding up well; while Albany Vintners has Vieille Julienne, Vieilles Vignes Châteauneuf-du-Pape at £65 a bottle in bond (ib). So a good first port of call would be Châteauneuf.

Coming after the millennial vintage, 2001 was an overlooked, underrated vintage in Bordeaux, so it’s possible to pick up bargains there. Château Sociando-Mallet is a proven keeper and its Cuvée Jean Gautreau 2001, a blend of the 15 best barrels, promises deliciously mature drinking now (£58 Berry Bros & Rudd). If you’re feeling generous, Frazier’s Wine Merchants has half-bottles of Château d’Yquem 2001 at £299. La Rioja Alta’s Reserva 904 Gran Reserva 2001, one of Rioja’s greats, is available by the magnum at Justerini & Brooks and BI Wines & Spirits (£80). Or if the recipient doesn’t already have a £40 lifetime share to The Wine Society, why not gift one?

20th (1999)

The 1999s are stunning across Italy, the twin fine wine regions of Tuscany and Piedmont offering a cornucopia of delights. Initially overlooked as the bigger 1997s and 2000s hogged the limelight, both Isole e Olena’s SuperTuscan Cepparello, and Fontodi’s wonderfully sleek Flaccianello della Pieve still combine sumptuous freshness with the complex, mature flavours of two decades of bottle age. David Gleave MW of Liberty Wines reports that both Aldo Vajra’s Bricco delle Viole and Aldo Conterno’s warmly enveloping, mineral Granbussia Barolo are outstanding.

In Bordeaux, 1999 was a light but balanced vintage whose successes, drinking well now, include the Left Bank Châteaux Lynch-Bages, Cantemerle and Pichon Baron, while on the Right Bank, L’Evangile and Tertre Rôteboeuf are star turns. Burgundy was what retired merchant Roy Richards, formerly of Richards Walford, calls ‘an American vintage, in the sense of being rich and brazen’, with the likes of Louis Jadot’s Chambolle-Musigny delivering simple pleasures.

My northern Rhône favourite in a fine vintage is the Côte-Rôtie from Domaine Jamet, but Cornas from Thierry Allemand or Auguste Clape (£175ib Rare Wine Vintages) is also excellent; from the south, the Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is relatively elegant.

From Australia, Penfolds Grange 1999 (£428 Hedonism, £450 T Wright Wine) is a great vintage overshadowed by the more hyped 1998. Also worth seeking out is Parker Coonawarra Estate First Growth Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, based on the Reynell selection Cabernet – vine stock from cuttings of pre-phylloxera Bordeaux.

Other New World 1999s I have enjoyed recently include Ruca Malen’s Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza in Argentina – full of minty, cassis vigour – and from the cellar, three Cape reds: a soft and supple cherryish Veenwouden, Merlot 1999; a more vigorous Vergelegen, V Cabernet Sauvignon 1999; and a stylish Rustenberg, Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon 1999. A final mention must go to another find from the cellar: an amazingly youthful, rich yet dry Meyer-Fonné, Pfoeller Alsace Riesling 1999.

See also: Decanter’s guide to anniversary wines 2018

21st (1998)

1998 was an excellent vintage in Champagne – and where better to start the ball rolling than with a wine made for celebration? The Dom Pérignon P2 1998 stole the show at a recent Ultimate Prestige Cuvée Champagne evening. Champagne gurus Tom Stevenson and Michael Edwards recommend, respectively, Piper-Heidsieck Rare 1998 (£475.95 in magnum, The Finest Bubble) and the Joseph Perrier Cuvée Joséphine 1998.

According to Richards, 1998 is underrated in Burgundy: ‘Slow to come around too, but lovely now.’ He suggests, if you can track them down, Vosne-Romanée from Domaine Jean Grivot, 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts, or Sylvain Cathiard, 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts.

The Right Bank was best in Bordeaux, with Vieux Château Certan 1998 perhaps its best wine of the decade, while more affordable gems include the beautiful St-Emilion grand cru Château Magdelaine 1998 (£80 Corney & Barrow), or the very good Pomerol, Château Certan de May (£89 Berry Bros & Rudd).

It was a great vintage for Rhône reds too, with Jean-Louis Chave’s wonderful Hermitage now coming into its own.

In Italy, the Massolino family believes that 1998 is the vintage of its Barolo, Vigna Rionda Riserva that’s now most ready to drink, and this view is echoed in Tuscany by Fontodi’s Giovanni Manetti, whose stars are the 1998 Vigna del Sorbo and Flaccianello della Pieve. German Rieslings from top producers such as JJ Prüm, Egon Müller and Robert Weil are excellent if hard to come by, although the fine Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Auslese 1998 is available from T Wright Wine at £54.99 a bottle.

1998 was a great Australian vintage across the board, with Penfolds Grange (£399 from Cadman Fine Wines, £408 Ancient & Modern) and St Henri (£85 Crump Richmond Shaw, £98 Four Walls Wine Co, £115 Fine & Rare), plus Wynns Coonawarra Estate John Riddoch and Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz all ready to drink now.

Meanwhile, in South Africa, the Kanonkop, Paul Sauer 1998 stands out.

30th (1989)

By no means too long in the tooth after 30 years, I would put the best Rioja gran reservas on my recommendation list, along with Viña Ardanza’s Reserva (£89 Armit).

In Italy, 1989 was also a remarkable vintage for Barolo, so be on the lookout for greats such as Giacomo Conterno’s Monfortino Barolo Riserva and Bartolo Mascarello’s ageworthy traditional Barolo (£375 WinePro, or £2,120 in magnum at Hedonism).

The Rhône was good in parts, with Château Rayas, Clos des Papes and in the north Domaine Thierry Allemand still going strong.

It was a warm year in Bordeaux, an annus mirabilis for Château Haut-Brion, now fetching £2,300 a bottle at Harrods (£2,600 Cadman Fine Wines), but you can still lay your hands on a cru classé claret such as Château Langoa Barton 1989 (£75 Barber Wines) or Grand Puy Lacoste 1989 (£100ib Wilkinson Vintners).

Speaking of anni mirabiles, 1989 was such a year for Domaine Huët in the Loire Valley. Berry Bros & Rudd bought big stocks from Noël Pinguet when he cashed in the stock, and a plethora of legendary, concentrated 1989s such as Le Clos du Bourg, Première Trie Vouvray Moelleux £95ib), Témoin Vouvray Moelleux (£116.33ib) and Essai Vouvray Moelleux (£160) wait to be snapped up.

Long ago, I bought half a dozen bottles of 1989 Domaine des Aubuisières, Le Marigny Vouvray Moelleux from Oddbins for a song, and I’m still singing the praises of this gorgeous, marmaladey confection today.

In Champagne, the Krug Collection 1989 is fabulous, albeit fabulously priced too at around £600 (Berry Bros Exchange).

While 1989 was not a great year in Australia, Wendouree Shiraz was ‘a spectacular exception’ according to Andrew Caillard MW, an auctioneer and consultant based in Australia. After 30 years, tawny Ports develop that wonderful rancio nuttiness, and in that vein, the caramel-rich and nutty Taylor’s 30 Year Old Tawny is widely available at around £69 a bottle.

See also: Bordeaux 1989 vs 1990 – battle of the vintages

40th (1979)

Although 1979 was a light vintage in Bordeaux, and is almost certainly fading, it was overlooked in the Rhône and the Loire and was also good in Bandol and in Provence – seek out Domaine de Trévallon 1979. Whites were great in Burgundy but there will be slim pickings today. Champagne was good in 1979, one of four vintages declared by Salon in the 1970s. Champagne expert Edwards says the Veuve Clicquot Cave Privée Rosé 1979 (£450 Champagne Direct) is excellent.

This is also a vintage for Rivesaltes, which lost popularity after World War II, leaving producers with stocks but little demand. Taking advantage, Farr Vintners holds some of the best, sourced from L’Archiviste. The 1979s are currently only £300 per dozen in bond, or £33.50 a bottle after tax, and Farr’s Thomas Parker MW highly recommends in particular the Domaine de la Viguerie Rivesaltes 1979 as ‘smoky with lots of dried fruit’.

50th (1969) and older

1969 is not a vintage to bring much cheer to 50-year-olds or golden wedding celebrations. Bordeaux was grim, although Château d’Yquem in Sauternes was highly rated and Vouvray in the Loire was excellent too.

Krug Collection 1969 was legendary in Champagne, though last time I looked, it was £3,850 for a magnum at L’Assemblage. Expensive? A snip compared to Champagne Salon, which only released four vintages in the 1960s, the 1969 being one – on the list at £5,333 a bottle at Fine & Rare.

Farr Vintners has the Domaine de Sobilane Rivesaltes 1969, ‘nutty, figgy and high toned’, duly carbon-dated for vintage accuracy, available at £45 per bottle in bond. From its extensive reserve of old cask-aged Port, Taylor’s has decided to make a limited release, each year, of a Single Harvest Port made 50 years previously. The 1969, due for release early in 2019, will be the sixth in the series and should be chock full of raisin, butterscotch and marzipan goodness. Check out www.taylor.pt for details.

1959 was a great vintage in many parts of Europe, not least Bordeaux, but for relative affordability it’s back to Rivesaltes and the concentrated, powerful Domaine de Sobilane 1959 (£65ib Farr Vintners). As for 1949, the great Prieuré du Monastir del Camp Rivesaltes, also from Farr Vintners, is a spectacular drop for £75 a bottle in bond.

Anthony Rose is a widely published and awarded wine critic and author, a regular contributor to Decanter and a DWWA Regional co-Chair for Australia