I’m not used to drinking this well but….

[Hm$(still)]

This week, Lisa and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a ‘96 Salon (anniversary year), an ‘82 Lalande and a ‘90 Ostertag vendanges tardives VV (which we bought on our honeymoon in Alsace and have held on to until now).
All beautiful different ways, but none as lovely as my wife of course.

Hm$

[JoelD]

Wow, what a night. Great way to celebrate your 25th. Congrats! Looking forward to meeting you all in person in a few weeks and toasting to it.

Anything on tap for your 40th or 50th? I sense some 2016 Bordeaux and maybe 2008 Champagne!

[tim]

Very nice, and congratulations on the anniversary! So you were practically newlyweds when you had your first BWE Convention!

[Comte Flaneur]

Congratulations to you and Lisa, Howard, on your 25th anniversary.

How was the 1982 PLL?

My more recent experiences have been more mixed than those of 10-20 years ago when this wine was life altering.

[jal]

Congratulations, wonderful wines and occasion, but you should be drinking this well more often

[Jay Winton]

Congrats youngsters!

[JimHow]

Hard to believe it has been 25 years, congratulations!
I first met Howard and Lisa in Napa in 2002, I remember the moment like it was yesterday, Howard came up to me in the lobby of the Marriott hotel and introduced himself to me. It seems like yesterday. It was the weekend of the infamous l’affaire de la whoopie.

[stefan]

Congratulations, Howard and Lisa!

Howard, you should convince Lisa to come DC for the convention so that we can toast you both on the occasion of your 25th anniversary.

[Nicklasss]

Congratulations to Lisa and you Howard, two of the very best people on BWE. Happy anniversary to you, and great wines to remember that great moment.

[AKR]

Great lineup, great partner

[Blanquito]

Mazol tov! Well done and congrats. A great anniversary with some very worthy wines.

[dstgolf]

Congrats Howard and Lisa on your 25th and always nice to have those treasures in store to share for these special milestones that many never have the pleasure of reaching.

[Hm$(still)]

Thanks everyone. Ian, I love the ‘82 PLL every time I drink it. It has not declined in my view. This is my 3rd of 4 bottles. The last one I opened was for my parents’ 50th Anniversary in 2010.

I still regret not buying the 1996 Lafite when I had the chance in 2006 for $450/bottle. It seemed crazy to pay that much at the time, but now it’s even more unattainably pricy, so I doubt I will even splurge for our 50th anniversary if we live that long.

Hm$

[Frederico]

Thanks everyone. Ian, I love the ‘82 PLL every time I drink it. It has not declined in my view. This is my 3rd of 4 bottles. The last one I opened was for my parents’ 50th Anniversary in 2010.

I still regret not buying the 1996 Lafite when I had the chance in 2006 for $450/bottle. It seemed crazy to pay that much at the time, but now it’s even more unattainably pricy, so I doubt I will even splurge for our 50th anniversary if we live that long.

Hm$

How much is the 96 Lafite if you could find one?

[JimHow]

I bought a case of 1996 Lafite for $180 each!

[Hm$(still)]

It’s a 1K bottle nowadays at auction. $180 was a hellofadeal….

HM$

[JimHow]

Back in 2000…

[Claudius2]

Jim
Many of us are old enough to recall the times when first growths were - by modern standards - affordable.
The 1995's that I bought en primeur were $A120 for the firsts, LLC was about $70-75 and Ducru B was only $51 (it later won the WS WOTY award and jumped in price). The exchange rate wasn't so good then so $A120 was probably only USD70-80 or so. Freight costs and clearance were paid later and I can't recall how much it was but probably $A10-15 a bottle.

The first time I bought first growths was at auction in Australia during the early 80's, and good vintages from the 60's and 70's cost only $A50 plus 11% commission. Yet I do have to say that $55 a bottle was seen as expensive then. Grange was about $A40 and Hill of Grace about $20. The first vintage of Brokenwood Graveyard (I think 1982) was only $5 member price and is now around $300.

Having said that, I think that the less famous estates (I mean, excluding the firsts, super seconds, garargiste wines and prestige cuvees on the RB) are now reasonably priced. When the Chinese and SE Asian markets stared opening up, they unfortunately bid up the prices of top Bordeaux, yet in the last decade, top Burgundy has been popular and we have seen prices for 1ers Crus and GCs double in the last five years. Even now, trophy wines are popular business gifts here and I have regularly been in offices were a bottle of first growth, GC Burgundy, Grange, etc, was in a cabinet being baked under lights in a glass cabinet. Oh well, probably cheaper than art.....

[DavidG]

Congratulations Howard and Lisa. Great way to celebrate. The 96 Salon and 82 PLL are finalists on my best ever lists.

I didn't buy the 1996 Lafite on release but traded some 1996 Harlan Estate for it back in the day. Drank a couple - killer stuff - and sold the rest when China went crazy for it.

[Blanquito]

I’ve only had the 82 PLL once, at my first convention, in a stupendously good blind flight (including the 89 Lynch Bages and an 85? Certan de May, amongst others) that Stu provided for the entire room at Charlie Palmer. It was one of the good bottles and lived up to its rep, although I thought the 89 Lynch held its own.

[SF Ed]

Belated congrats Howard and Lisa!

I had a truly profound bottle of 82 PLL about 20 years ago. The other couple of times I've had it since it was very good but not at the same level. Based on my limited experience, I agree with Ian that it is in decline from an extremely high peak.

Of course, I could be persuaded to change my mind with updated sampling

SF Ed