1982 Bordeaux Tasting at Wine Watch

Friday, November 6, 2015 - 07:00 PM

This Event has been read: 2700 times.

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I like best the wine drunk at the cost of others.
Diogenes the Cynic

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We can call if Bordeaux appreciation week as even our first event next week has ties to the world’s most famous wine producing region.  Herve and Diana Fabre are from Bordeaux and they left for an adventure in Argentina.  Come out and hear about the first producer of varietal labeled Malbec in Argentina.  We should have the menu out for this event tomorrow on our web page.

Then we have two “Once in a Lifetime” Bordeaux tastings in one week with our Pauillac versus Margaux tasting on Wednesday night.  This event goes all the way back to the 1959 vintage and includes both Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Margaux in the line-up!  We have 3 spaces remaining for this tasting.  Check out the line-up of wines on our web page.

To finish off the week we have another KILLER Bordeaux tasting focusing on the outstanding 1982 vintage and this tasting also includes two first growths from this epic year.  Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Chateau Margaux are both on the table tonight along the (100 Point) Leoville Las Cases!!  The fee for this event is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

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1982 Bordeaux Tasting at Wine Watch
Friday, November 6, 2015
7:00 PM

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1982 Chateau La Lagune Haut Medoc
Price: $185.00    Sale Price: $127.50
Quantity in Stock: 7

(92 points)  Unquestionably the greatest La Lagune until the 2005 was conceived, the 1982 exhibits a dense ruby/purple-tinged color along with a big, sweet bouquet of black cherries, licorice, smoky toast, and forest floor, a plush, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and sweet tannin. It is close to full maturity, and should keep for another decade. (RP) (6/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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1982 Chateau La Grave Pomerol

This 8 hectare Pomerol vineyard Chateau La Grave a Pomerol is planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. It is located north of Chateau Latour a Pomerol and not far from the Lalande de Pomerol border, the terroir is gravel based with some light clay and sand. The content of gravel in the soil is where the property gets its name.

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1982 Chateau Beychevelle St. Julien

(94 Points) I have noticed serious bottle variation with this wine, but recently it has been consistently scoring in the 94-96 point range. Beautifully sweet, slightly herbaceous black currant, licorice, and earthy notes emerge from this nearly opaque, dark ruby/purple-tinged 1982. Compared to the more elegant, feminine-styled wine often produced here, it is a beast. Dense, thick, rich, concentrated, and impressive, it can be drunk now and over the next two decades.  Wine Advocate #183, Jun 2009

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1982 Chateau Talbot St. Julien

(95 Points) Along with the 1986, the 1982 is one of the greatest Talbots ever made. Far more evolved than its stablemate, Gruaud Larose, it exhibits a dense garnet color to the rim along with a huge, sweet, exotic nose of charcoal, beef blood, licorice, herbs, and black fruits. A hint of figs suggests borderline overripeness, but the wine remains fleshy and full-bodied with sweet tannin and an expansive, heady mouthfeel. While fully mature, it should hold for another decade.

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1982 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou St. Julien
Price: $450.00    Sale Price: $300.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(96 Points) At a charity dinner in Charleston, SC, the 1982 Ducru Beaucaillou from my cellar was the only corked bottle out of twenty-two. A subsequent tasting revealed one of the all-time great Ducrus, probably matched or eclipsed by several recent vintages (i.e., 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008). The 1982 is still 5-8 years away from full maturity, but it exhibits a dense ruby/plum/garnet color to the rim as well as a sweet perfume of forest floor, spice box, cedar, and copious quantities of black fruits. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully pure with sweet tannins, this wine has aged more slowly than I initially expected. It is the finest Ducru Beaucaillou produced after the 1961 and before the 2003. With respect to the 1990, I do not own any of this wine, but it was the last of a series of vintages between 1986 and 1990 that were affected by the TCA-like contamination in the estate’s chai, which was completely destroyed and then rebuilt, eliminating the source of these smells. Not every bottle is affected by this, but I do not have any source for this vintage. Release price: ($140.00/case) Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

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1982 Chateau Margaux Margaux (high shoulder)
Price: $759.00    Your Price: $667.92
Quantity in Stock: 2

(94) Of all the 1982 first-growths, Chateau Margaux has been the most variable from bottle to bottle. At the Philadelphia tasting, the bottle was maderized, the only truly bad bottle in the impeccable collection assembled by local wine connoisseur Randy Feinberg. From my cellar, the 1982 Margaux exhibits a dark, murky ruby/purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge. Earthy, truffle, black fruit, underbrush, cedar, and spice aromas are followed by a ripe, full-bodied, chunky wine. This fleshy, powerful effort is somewhat disjointed and rustic at present. Interestingly, I have had bottles that merited nearly perfect scores, and others that were typical of this tasting. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035. Wine Advocate #129 (Jun 2000)

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1982 Chateau Calon Segur St. Estephe
Price: $260.00    Sale Price: $180.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(94+ Points) Like Certan de May, I bought this in both half and 750 ml bottles. Only recently have the half bottles reached full maturity, and the 750 ml remains a massive, backward wine for long-term aging. A dense, opaque garnet color is followed by notes of roasted meats, herbs, black currants, incense, and damp earth. Full-bodied, still extremely tannic (sweet but noticeable tannins), rich, and backward, where perfectly stored, this 1982 will last for another 50 years. The estate has always compared it to their 1947, which is still a vibrant wine, and the 1982 should be just as profound. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2040. Wine Advocate #183, Jun 2009

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1982 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
Price: $475.00    Your Price: $350
Quantity in Stock: 3

(96 Points) A spectacular performance for this wine, Cos d'Estournel's 1982 exhibits a dark ruby/purple color with light pink at the rim. Sweet aromas of jammy black fruits intermixed with roasted espresso and vanillin jump from the glass of this young, concentrated, full-bodied, succulent effort. An opulent texture, low acidity, and splendidly pure, concentrated, blackberry and cassis fruit suggest this 1982 can be drunk now, or cellared for another 15-20 years. An awesome wine! Wine Advocate # 129, Jun 2000

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1982 Chateau Leoville Las Cases St. Julien
Price: $495.00    Sale Price: $390.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(100 Points) Tasted three times over a two month period, this youthful yet profoundly complex wine gets my nod as the finest Leoville-Las-Cases ever made. It reveals massive proportions yet extraordinary purity, elegance, and balance. This dense ruby/purple-colored 1982 still looks and tastes as if it were 5-8 years old. The nose offers up blazingly well-delineated, pure aromas of creme de cassis, cherry jam, minerals, and toasty new oak. This unctuously-textured, gorgeously rich, pure, super-concentrated, low acid effort concludes with a 45+ second finish. There is still tannin to shed in this unbelievably fresh, lively, full-bodied, vibrant wine. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2035. Wine Advocate # 129, June 2000

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1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $1469.00    Sale Price: $1175.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) Opaque purple-colored showing absolutely no signs of lightening, Mouton's 1982 is a backward wine. Still tasting like a 4-5 year old Bordeaux, it will evolve for another half century. At the Philadelphia tasting, it was impossibly impenetrable and closed, although phenomenally dense and muscular. However, on two other recent occasions, I decanted the wine in the morning and consumed it that evening and again the following evening. It is immune to oxidation! Moreover, it has a level of concentration that represents the essence of the Mouton terroir as well as the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon it contains. Cassis, cedar, spice box, minerals, and vanillin are all present, but this opaque black/purple Pauillac has yet to reveal secondary nuances given its youthfulness. It exhibits huge tannin, unreal levels of glycerin and concentration, and spectacular sweetness and opulence. Nevertheless, it demands another decade of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for another seven or eight decades. I have always felt the 1982 Mouton was perfect, yet this immortal effort might be capable of lasting for 100 years! Readers who want to drink it are advised to decant it for at least 12-24 hours prior to consumption. I suggest double decanting, i.e., pouring it into a clean decanter, washing out the bottle, and then repouring it back into the bottle, inserting the cork, leaving the air space to serve as breathing space until the wine is consumed 12-24 hours later. The improvement is striking. The fact that it resists oxidation is a testament to just how youthful it remains, and how long it will last. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2075. Wine Advocate # 129 June 2000

 

Menu:

Selection of Cheeses:  Parmesan Reggiano, Beemster Gouda
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Big Mac with sundried tomato vinaigrette
Beef short rib served with Mole Sauce and potato rhubarb  mash

 

The fee for this event is $295 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

Wines in the store from these producers:

 

1978 Chateau Beychevelle St. Julien (low shoulder)
Price: $79.00    Your Price: $69.52
Quantity in Stock: 1

1970 Chateau Beychevelle St. Julien
Price: $229.00    Your Price: $201.59
Quantity in Stock: 1

 

1996 Chateau Talbot St. Julien MAGNUM
Price: $225.00    Your Price: $198.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

 

1990 Chateau Margaux Margaux
Price: $1450.00    Sale Price: $1232.50
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) I had this wine both in Seoul, Korea in February, and from my cellar in December, 2008, and it was remarkable how identical the wines smelled and tasted. It offers an extraordinary aromatic display of spring flowers, camphor, sweet red and black fruits, a hint of licorice, and no evidence of its 100% new oak cask aging. Round and generous with low acidity, but an opulent, full-bodied richness that is fresh with laser-like precision, this stunning wine is just beginning to reach its plateau of full maturity, where it should remain for another three decades. A sensational effort, it is one of the legendary wines made at Chateau Margaux. Wine Advocate #183 Jun 2009

 

1990 Chateau Margaux Margaux (low neck)
Price: $1195.00    Sale Price: $840.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) Absolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The color remains a healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry either. Wine Advocate # 189, Jun 2010

 

2003 Chateau Margaux Margaux
Price: $1100.00    Sale Price: $775.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

(99 Points) Am I being too stingy with the 2003 Chateau Margaux? A wine of extraordinary complexity and intensity, it reveals a deep purple color, a style not unlike the 1990 Margaux (possibly even more concentrated), a velvety texture, and notes of spring flowers interwoven with camphor, melted licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Not a blockbuster, it offers extraordinary intensity as well as a surreal delicacy/lightness. There is riveting freshness to this offering, which tips the scales at a lofty (for this estate) 13.5% alcohol, as well as an alluring sweetness and accessibility. It probably will tighten up over the next few years. Nevertheless, it is a profound Chateau Margaux that brings to mind a hypothetical blend of the 1982 and 1990. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2035. Wine Advocate # 164, Apr 2006

2009 Chateau Calon Segur Saint Estephe
Price: $123.25    Your Price: $108.46
Quantity in Stock: 1

(93-96 Points) Delivers gorgeous aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice, with hints of tobacco and spice. Full-bodied, offering a lovely texture and refinement. Very long and beautiful, with tangy acidity and lively fruit. A rich, yet very balanced, Calon. This is almost all Cabernet Sauvignon instead of the normal blend with 40 percent Merlot. The chateau is now using 100 percent new wood. Like the changes. Score range: -JS Wine Spectator

 

2003 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe 3 Liter
Price: $1470.00    Your Price: $1293.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

(98 Points) The prodigious, fantastic 2003 Cos d'Estournel is a candidate for �wine of the vintage.� A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon (unusually high for this chateau), 30% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, 17,500 cases were produced from low yields. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by a compelling perfume of black fruits, subtle smoke, pain grille, incense, and flowers. With extraordinary richness, full body, and remarkable freshness, elegance, and persistence, this is one of the finest wines ever made by this estate. The good news is that it will be drinkable at a young age yet evolve for three decades or more. Kudos to winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats and owner Michel Reybier. Wine Advocate #164 (Apr 2006)

 

1996 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
Price: $176.50    Your Price: $155.32
Quantity in Stock: 3

(93) Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, this is a huge, backward wine. The 1996 possesses an opaque purple color, as well as pure aromatics consisting of cassis, grilled herbs, coffee, and toasty new oak. Massive in the mouth, and one of the most structured and concentrated young Cos d'Estournels I have ever tasted, this thick, structured, tannic wine has closed down significantly since bottling. It requires 7-8 years of cellaring, and should last for 30-35 years. It is a fabulous Cos, but patience is required. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2030. Wine Advocate #122 (Apr 1999)

 

1995 Cos D'Estournel Saint-Estephe
Price: $218.00    Your Price: $191.84
Quantity in Stock: 2

 

1986 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe (low neck)
Price: $175.00    Your Price: $154.00
Quantity in Stock: 4

(95 Points) The 1986 is a highly extracted wine, with a black/ruby color and plenty of toasty, smoky notes in its bouquet that suggest ripe plums and licorice. Evolving at a glacial pace, it exhibits massive, huge, ripe, extremely concentrated flavors with impressive depth and richness. It possesses more power, weight, and tannin than the more opulent and currently more charming 1985. Anticipated maturity: 1996-2010.  Wine Advocate #95, Oct 1994

 

1970 Chateau Cos D'Estournel St. Estephe
Price: $195.00    Your Price: $171.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

 

1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $1215.00    Your Price: $1069.20
Quantity in Stock: 7

(100 Points) After stumbling over some wines I thought were high class Bordeaux, I nailed this wine in one of the blind tastings for this article. In most tastings where a great Bordeaux is inserted with California Cabernets, the Bordeaux comes across as drier, more austere, and not nearly as rich and concentrated (California wines are inevitably fruitier and more massive). To put it mildly, the 1986 Mouton-Rothschild held its own (and then some), in a flight that included the Caymus Special Selection, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23, Dunn Howell Mountain, and Joseph Phelps Eisele Vineyard. Clearly the youngest looking, most opaque and concentrated wine of the group, it tastes as if it has not budged in development since I first tasted it out of barrel in March, 1987. An enormously concentrated, massive Mouton-Rothschild, comparable in quality, but not style, to the 1982, 1959, and 1945, this impeccably made wine is still in its infancy. Interestingly, when I was in Bordeaux several years ago, I had this wine served to me blind from a magnum that had been opened and decanted 48 hours previously. Even then, it still tasted like a barrel sample! I suspect the 1986 Mouton-Rothschild requires a minimum of 15-20 more years of cellaring; it has the potential to last for 50-100 years! Given the outrageously high prices being fetched by so many of the great 1982s and 1990s (and lest I forget, the 1995 Bordeaux futures), it appears this wine might still be one of the "relative bargains" in the fine wine marketplace. I wonder how many readers will be in shape to drink it when it does finally reach full maturity? The tasting notes for this section are from two single blind tastings, one conducted in May, 1996, in California, and the other in June, 1996, in Baltimore. Wine Advocate # 106, Aug 1996

 

1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $424.00    Your Price: $373.12
Quantity in Stock: 1

Considering the vintages and the estate, Mouton's performances in 1989 and 1990 are puzzling. I have tasted these wines multiple times since my last reviews appeared in print. The 1990 is a hard, lean, austere, tannic style of Mouton that I predict will never shed enough tannin to attain complete harmony and balance. The wine exhibits a deep ruby color, less noticeable sweet oak than it possessed 2-3 years ago, hints of ripe blackcurrant fruit, and an attenuated, angular, tough style that is uncharacteristic of this chateau's winemaking, as well as the character of the 1990 vintage. This wine needs at least 10-15 years of cellaring, but don't expect a balanced Mouton when the tannin fades away - the wine is not that concentrated. In the context of a great vintage, Mouton's 1990 is a disappointment. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020. Wine Advocate # 109 Feb 1997

 

1995 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $650.00    Sale Price: $489.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(95 Points) Bottled in June, 1997, this profound Mouton is more accessible than the more muscular 1996. A blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 19% Merlot, it reveals an opaque purple color, and reluctant aromas of cassis, truffles, coffee, licorice, and spice. In the mouth, the wine is "great stuff," with superb density, a full-bodied personality, rich mid-palate, and a layered, profound finish that lasts for 40+ seconds. There is outstanding purity and high tannin, but my instincts suggest this wine is lower in acidity and slightly fleshier than the brawnier, bigger 1996. Both are great efforts from Mouton-Rothschild. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2030. Wine Advocate # 115, Feb 1998

 

2006 Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $900.00    Your Price: $792.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(96 Points) A major sleeper of the vintage and a great effort, the 2006 Mouton-Rothschild boasts abundant notes of crème de cassis, licorice, truffles, forest floor and cedarwood. The stunning aromatics are still somewhat primary, but the wine is full-bodied with sweet, abundant tannin. Built like a skyscraper with multiple dimensions, this super-concentrated, beautiful blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot should drink well for 30+ years.  eRobertParker.com #216, Dec 2014

 

1982 Vintage Bordeaux in the store:

 

1982 Chateau Latour Pauillac (3-Liter)
Price: $15000.00    Your Price: $13200.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) Always somewhat atypical (which I suspect will be the case with the more modern day 2003), the 1982 Latour has been the most opulent, flamboyant, and precocious of the northern Medocs, especially the St.-Juliens, Pauillacs, and St.-Estephes. It hasn’t changed much over the last 10-15 years, revealing sweet tannins as well as extraordinarily decadent, even extravagant levels of fruit, glycerin, and body. It is an amazing wine, and on several occasions, I have actually picked it as a right bank Pomerol because of the lushness and succulence of the cedary, blackberry, black currant fruit. This vintage has always tasted great, even in its youth, and revealed a precociousness that one does not associate with this Chateau. However, the 1982 is still evolving at a glacial pace. The concentration remains remarkable, and the wine is a full-bodied, exuberant, rich, classic Pauillac in its aromatic and flavor profiles. It’s just juiced up (similar to an athlete on steroids) and is all the better for it. This remarkable effort will last as long as the 1982 Mouton, but it has always been more approachable and decadently fruity. Drink it now, in 20 years, and in 50 years! Don’t miss it if you are a wine lover. Release price: ($350.00/case) Wine Advocate # 183, Jun 2009

 

1982 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan (3-Liter)
Price: $10000.00    Your Price: $8000.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1982 Chateau Haut Brion Pessac Leognan
Price: $1250.00    Your Price: $1100
Quantity in Stock: 1

(95 points) I know Jean Delmas, whom I respect as one of the world’s greatest wine producers, has always thought the 1982 Haut Brion was similar to the 1959, but I have yet to see that. It seems to me the 1989 is closer to the 1959, another perfect wine and one of the all-time great Haut Brions. While the 1982 is a beauty, it has never hit the highest notes this vintage or terroir can achieve. Complex aromatics of scorched earth, smoked herbs, and sweet red and black currants are followed by a full-bodied, silky-textured wine, but I have never felt this offering has possessed the concentration, texture, or multidimensional personality found in such vintages as 1989, 1990, and more recent years. Nevertheless, this is essentially splitting hairs as the 1982 remains a superb Haut Brion. Seemingly less evolved than the 1990, it is capable of another 20-30 years of longevity. Perhaps there is something in reserve that will reveal itself in the next decade. Drink now-2035. Wine Advocate #183 Jun 2009