ThePortForum.com

A decade ago, I would have quite readily bought the argument that the 75s had shown what little they could, and that the prognosis was one of descent into ignominious oblivion.

For example, my old notes on the Dow '75 are far from complimentary - a 'drink up' wine with the added caveat 'when there's nothing better to be had'

This saw my stock of D75 dwindle to a single remaining bottle. However, as that left little capacity for forthcoming horizontals and verticals, I took advantage of the opportunity to buy a stash of seven bottles at reasonable cost in 2012. One of those was leaky and significantly ullaged, and was summarily drunk - it was no star, but did not disappoint.

I've just popped a second bottle from that stash - low on colour compared to most VPs, but as a drinker, I'm really not complaining.

Glancing through my notes on 75s over the last few years, I'm not clocking a trend towards star turns, but I am seeing a sharp falling off of embarassingly bad wines.

Is 75 getting a second wind? - It's happened to vintages before..

I have never had enough to know. When I first started buying I was told to avoid them like the plague, then when I got round to getting a few in to see what they were like they seemed to have acquired a rarity value which made them expensive for what they were. I do remember trying the Graham 75 which was the only bottle with a Graham label on it that I ever declined to finish. I seem to remember someone saying the Cockburn was good.

Delving into the lesser vintages has bought me the great joy of the 1967s and a few of the 1980s and the 1960. Hurrah for the sick, the halt and the lame, maybe the 75 can be another comeback kid.

That is a good hypothesis. I’ve not tasted many of them in recent years. But the few I have tasted have been fuller than my (vague) recollection of their state a decade ago. So I think I agree with Tom on this.