The BEST of BORDEAUX 1982 VINTAGE - Just tasted by us.
FIRST FLIGHT:
Sociando Mallet 1982
A beautiful showing from this eminent “cru bourgeois” that on the nose has a lovely mixture of blackcurrants, minerals and bell peppers. It opens gently, some smokiness, plenty of dark fruit, and very good concentration. It lacks a little heft at the mid palate, but rallies with floral notes and red cherries, for a fairly silky and slightly savory finish that has considerable composure. The wine is probably about 5 years from its zenith still from this showing. It is a highly attractive wine that has evolved impressively. 91 Points (3 votes for wine of the flight, 3 second place votes)
Chateau La Lagune 1982
A slightly more Burgundian bouquet, cherries, some game, earth and plums, ripe acids that are well integrated, it opens with some lushness that is well restrained, and indeed the tannins throughout are quite plush. You get some licorice and forest floor at the mid palate, some black truffles, and with the dish it particularly showed its vigor. There is pepper and some spiciness on the finish, it is a wine that will probably stay at this level for another 5 years, possibly longer, but has likely plateaued. 90 Points (5 votes for wine of the flight, 2 second place votes)
Chateau Haut Batailley 1982
A curious combination of olives and some toffee notes, along with the fruit confection on the nose, it opens with good texture, surprisingly lively acidity, smooth and dry tannins, nice lift at the mid palate, currants and cherries emerge as it moves to the finale, with a smoky elegance. There is the Bordeaux graphite throughout this wine, which remains structurally sound, but it is definitely a “food wine” and by itself, a tad flat footed in the glass over time. I do not see this improving any. Yet I did not detect on this showing any evidence of decline either. 88-89 Points (3 votes for wine of the flight, 1 second place vote)
SECOND FLIGHT
Chateau Lagrange 1982
Some tea and cinnamon along with some ripe berries characterize the somewhat recalcitrant nose. Somewhat drying out on the palate, particularly at the mid palate, though there are some attractive notes of chocolate, figs, and some cherries. It was relatively elegant on the fairly sweet finish. This is a good wine for Lagrange (though the ’83 from this property is stronger), and certainly at, or possibly just past its peak. 87 Points (1 vote for wine of the flight, one second place vote)
Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1982
Here is a wine of great refinement on the nose, floral, with mineral and meaty notes, harmoniously blending. There are opening notes of cassis, blackcurrant, and red fruit, with lovely rounded sensuous vivacity here. Despite the richness evident by the mid palate, there is compelling balance and elegance throughout. More black fruit, some chestnut perhaps, crisp tannins and wonderful grip here too. This is a life affirming wine, with plenty of life and further development ahead. It is a joy to enjoy today. 93 Points+ (1 vote for wine of the flight, five second place votes)
Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1982
This has always been an obdurate wine, reluctant to yield up its underlying charms. It seems to finally be relenting, offering aromas of licorice, black cherries, and nuts. Some mushrooms and truffles on the opening, it has relatively low acidity, with evolving intensity and superb length. Blackberries and plums towards the finish of a wine that still seems to be struggling against its tannic bonds, and seeking to develop the multi-faceted personality its underlying elements seem to suggest lies ahead. If it stops brooding and starts to beam, which is perhaps just starting to suggest itself, this wine will readily climb several notches. 94 Points (3 votes for wine of the flight, two second place votes)
Chateau Gruaud Larose 1982
Just a beautiful wine, herbs, red cherries, and spices, swirl appealingly on the bouquet. Throughout there are enticing layers of complexity, green olives, plum tart, cherry, tobacco, smooth tannins, and exquisitely integrated acidity. There are peppers and chocolate on the mid palate, great concentration and a sexy silkiness that keeps luring you on. There are truffles and a wonderful core of fruit that lap at the palate on the enduring, pronounced, slightly saline accented, vivacious finish. This is a remarkable wine, with plenty of life ahead of it. 96 Points (7 votes for wine of the flight, 3 second place votes)
FLIGHT THREE
Chateau Duhart-Milon 1982
There are plums, flowers and spices on the nose here, this is a nicely rounded wine, with sweet fruit and some tobacco as it opens, firm supporting acidity, cassis and flowers on the mid palate, it is a reasonably luscious and fleshy wine, given Duhart’s more typically statuesque contours. But that trademark framework is still unabashedly present, if more behind the scenes than is typical, as the wine moves toward a nice finish, with thyme, fig and good persistence. This likely has at least a good decade ahead of it. 91 Points (1 vote for wine of the flight, 2 second place votes)
Chateau Lynch Bages 1982
Flowers, spicy red berries, some kirsch on the nose, this wine while not having the enduring delineation of the ’89, has compelling balance and precision to it. There is a good core of sweet fruit, flavors of soy, some flowers and earth underlying everything. The black fruit swirls with some tobacco notes at the mid palate, the tertiary fruit and pepper are quite expressive as it builds to a savory, rich finale. I would drink this over the next decade. 92 Points (2 votes for wine of the flight, and 4 second place votes)
Chateau Pichon Lalande 1982
Here is a spellbinding wine, soaring from the glass with aromas of currants, smoked meat, truffles, oregano perhaps, this wine is wrapped in nuanced, alluring velvet. Chocolate, earth and cassis dance together at the mid palate, and it radiates a freshness and depth that are just exuberant. Here the Merlot-Cabernet partnership has flourished unforgettably, with cherries, red berries, pepper all beating the drums on the lavish, lingering finish. It is one of the wines of the vintage and is going from strength to strength. 97 Points (8 votes for wine of the flight, one second place vote)
Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste 1982
This has currants and plum on the nose, blueberries and cedar then adding to the mix. For years this has been a glacially evolving wine, again like the Las Cases, might it be reluctantly coming into its own? It is today a medium bodied wine with supple tannins, nice acidity, reasonably muscular, through still introspective. It has unfurling depth, and nice length, but in this flight, given its current diffidence, it lacked a distinctive appeal. It should be at its best if it evolves in the direction it seems to be hinting at, in another 2-5 years. 93 Points (2 second place votes)
FLIGHT FOUR:
Chateau Beychevelle 1982
This was an enchanting, quasi-Burgundian wine, with lyrical grace. Cherries, smoke, sea salt, blackberries, violets are all abundant in the bouquet. There is ripe fruit, some of that ’82 richness, but still the Beychevelle breeding and grace are evident throughout. The tannins are robust but understated; there are layers of evolving complexity evident at the mid palate, and a silky, nicely delineated finish of admirable length and marvelous grip. This is a wine I believe that will actually come even more fully into its own in the coming 5-7 years and continue to blossom for quite some time thereafter. 95 Points+ (8 votes for wine of the flight and 3 second place votes)
Chateau Calon Segur 1982
Black cherries, tobacco, cassis, some incense all abound on the bouquet. On the opening, the acidity frames the wine well, the plums are evident, black truffles on the mid palate, good complexity, fairly vibrant with emphatic red fruit emerging towards a nicely textured, spice cake accented finish. It is a vibrant wine, but didn’t on this showing have quite the vitality or panache expected – there does seem to be quite some bottle variation with this wine. A few weeks back, I had tasted a livelier, more evidently red fruit laced expression of this wine, and it was clearly several points higher. 91 Points+ (1 vote for wine of the flight)
Chateau Montrose 1982
The bottle was slightly off, lacked most of the flavor profile. But then, several past experiences haven’t been luminous either, with a tired bouquet, a balanced but not particularly rich or inviting palate. Nothing wrong, but nothing particularly attractive either. I can’t say I would go looking for a better representative of this wine. NR
Chateau Cos d’Estournel 1982
This has a lovely sensual bouquet, dark cherries, chestnuts, mushrooms and plums. The wine is harmonious, balanced, showing great typicity of the terroir and for the vintage. It has the tannic backbone, seamless acidity, elegant concentration, that the best 1982’s display. Some black cherry and fig on the mid palate, it builds towards a full, spice flecked, long, attractive finish that leaves you yearning for more. It is particularly accomplished with food, and the Bison and Foie couldn’t have been a better foil. This is probably best enjoyed (as you sense the very slightest fraying at the edges, at least from this bottle) in the coming decade. 95 Points+ (3 votes for wine of the flight, 6 second place votes)
FLIGHT FIVE:
Chateau Margaux 1982
No longer in the shadow of the lovely 1983, this is a charming Margaux, finally throwing off its fetters. There is potpourri, violets, truffles, and some chocolate on the ravishing nose. An enticing sweet opening, some orange, blackberry and cherry, exotic spice and some licorice emerge by the mid palate. The tannins are sweet and supple, this wine is silky, and is developing ever more verve and expression. Some red berries emerge again, as the suave, engaging, fruit-laced finish, washes over the palate with quintessential Margaux mellifluence. This is a beguiling wine very much in the ascendance still. 95 Points+ (2 second place votes)
Chateau Haut Brion 1982
Normally a charming, compelling, radiant wine, on this showing, while not tainted or corked, it seemed to lack some stuffing. Some muted dark plums and smokiness on the palate, it lacked the urbane full bodied composure that is usually so attractive about this wine. The ’82 HB has gone from being a lighter 1982 in its trajectory, to filling out attractively. Today’s showing I feel compelled not to score, because it seems so atypical of the usual terroir expression, tannic structure and graceful contours of this wine. NR
Chateau La Mission Haut Brion 1982
Black truffles, fall flowers and autumn leaves all paradoxically swirl together on the nose here, then some marzipan. The opening is enchanting with fine and beautifully poised tannins. This was not the strongest showing I’ve seen from this wine, but it was still lovely. It bespeaks Graves with real gravitas, there are also some opening Pomerol notes here, that are shed past the mid palate, and then it mobilizes its impressive structure, as the fruit core leads the surge to a generous, harmonious finale. A few points off from what it can be in this showing, but a wine that seems eager for decades of wonderful drinking ahead. 94 Points (2 second place votes)
Chateau Latour 1982 (ex Chateau)
Just a superlative wine, it opens bountifully on the nose with plum, truffle, black pepper, mocha and tobacco. What hits you next is the sheer balance and aplomb of this graceful, amazingly structured, cassis and sandalwood-laced beauty on the palate. The tannins are ripe, but just part of the overall package, and become ever silkier past the mid palate, harmonizing with the intense concentration of the wine. Then blackberry, boysenberry, a seamless texture that simply envelops the palate and grows in elegant, focused power as it unfurls its treasures in the glass. This is a perfect wine, with boundless potential ahead. 100 Points (9 votes for wine of the flight, one second place vote)
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1982
The bouquet is transfixing, coffee, cassis, licorice, macerated cherries. It is a monumental wine in the making, just not yet at a peak as Latour clearly is. It has the ingredients of greatness, and displays many of the attributes already. Crème de cassis, mint, dark fruit, tobacco lace the palate, then as it reaches the mid palate, blackberry and blueberry framed by well marshaled acidity, it then rallies majestically as it heads towards the finish. Though it still is a little tightly coiled in terms of its full expression, the finish is full bodied, layered, complex, even a tad flamboyant, awaiting just some additional blossoming for its full range of expressiveness to realize the perfection that seems in store. 97 Points+ (2 votes for wine of the flight, 5 second place votes)
Chateau Lafite 1982
A vexing and perplexing wine, you want it to be so much more, to express its terroir, to show flashes of the ’59 genius. There is an alluring bouquet of currants, cedar, marzipan and some tobacco. There are dusty tannins, and it seems to lack the depth or complexity of Lafite at its best, or the concentrated appeal of the best 82’s. This is a wine that has not improved with time. There is low acidity, and it is atypically plump and juicy though juxtaposed with intriguing refinement -- but the elements seem not to quite come together. Does it need more time? Possibly. It might need 6 hours of decanting time today, but I am unconvinced that it can marshal its elements for the exceptional performance hoped for. It though remains overall an elegantly rich, attractive 1982, but uninspiring. 91 Points
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