The vintage

1987

October rain, and a way around it

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The 1987 vintage, rated

October rain, and a way around it

In 2026 a bottle from 1987 marks a 39th birthday or anniversary

The vintage

Modest · 2/5

Bordeaux was rained on through October and the wines came out light and dilute. They were made to be drunk young and that moment passed long ago. Burgundy did rather better than its reputation suggests, and Rioja had a very good year. No general Port vintage was declared, though several houses bottled single-quinta wines that have aged well. Not a year to buy on the label alone.

What we would buy, and why

Move away from claret and the year opens up considerably. A single-quinta Port from 1987 is the best drinking on offer and costs a fraction of a declared vintage, and a 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva is a lovely wine that is still fresh and often under €150. If red Bordeaux is non-negotiable, restrict the search to Pomerol, expect a light and fully mature wine, and do not pay more than €150 for anything below the very top names.

1987 in the world

The Princess Bride arrived in cinemas, The Simpsons made their first appearance as thirty-second shorts on an American sketch show in April, and the Great Storm went through southern England one night in October and took fifteen million trees with it.

Best bets for 1987

  • Quinta do Vesuvio or Quinta do Noval 1987 single-quinta Vintage Port
  • A 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva from La Rioja Alta, CVNE or López de Heredia
  • A 1987 vintage Armagnac, since distillation is far more forgiving of a wet autumn than winemaking is
  • Château Trotanoy 1987 if Pomerol is the only acceptable answer

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine

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