1982 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting at Wine Watch

"Between 5/22/85 and 5/4/88, the French writer Jean-Paul Kauffmann was held chained and often blindfolded in a Beirut basement [by a] Shiite Muslim fundamentalist group. A lover of Bordeaux, Mr. Kauffmann recited daily the list of the 61 greatest chateaux drawn up in 1855. He strove to conjure up the aroma of a Chateau Margaux or a Leoville-Poyferre. Occasionally a small miracle would occur, and the scent of black currants and plum would permeate the dusty heat of Lebanon."

- Roger Cohen, "Ways of Doing Time," New York Times, 5/4/97

If I were ever in the same predicament I could see myself doing something very similar to pass the time.  Even one day without wine is hard for me to imagine but to be in a situation where I had to go weeks may just do me in. 

Our calendar of events to start the year out is a good indication of just how much I love wine and we continue our study in Bordeaux with a horizontal selection of one of the greatest vintages from our lifetime 1982.  If you invested in first growths from 1982 you would have paid around $50 per bottle for these wines upon release.  Today, we have the 1982 Mouton Rothschild on the table at a price of $1175 and the Lafite Rothschild will not be here this evening but we do have a bottle on this offering for $2600 per bottle and six magnums for $6000 per Magnum!!  The 1982 vintage was one of the best investments that you could have ever made in the world of fine wine. 

If you have these wines in your cellar today they are drinking at or near their peak and we will be opening 10 wines from the 1982 vintage this evening to get a cross section of how this vintage is showing right now.  This is serious scientific work that we are doing here at the Wine Watch and with a price of $395 a person for this event we could be considered a non-profit organization as well!

Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal to accompany the tasting wines and there are only 14 spaces available for this event.  The fee is $395 + tax (or a bottle of vintage Bordeaux of equal value- That’s right I will take wine as payment for this event!!)  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

1982 Vintage Bordeaux Tasting at Wine Watch
Thursday, January 19, 2017
7:00 PM

 
1982 Chateau Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol
Price: $295.00    Sale $259.30
Quantity in Stock: 3

1982 Château Rouget Pomerol
Price: $75.00       Sale $66.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

1982 Petit Village Pomerol
List Price: $159.00                             Sale $139.92
Quantity in Stock: 6

(90 points) This wine was so fragile when it was first released that I thought it had to be drunk in its first 10-12 years of life. It was exceptionally low in acidity, and had very sweet tannins, but the wine is still alive - another testament to the mystery of how wines age, and that if there is good concentration, there may be more balance than one initially suspects. This chocolaty, exotic, almost New World style of wine has lost some of its ostentatiousness, but there is still an underlying herbaceous character intermixed with notes of jammy black cherries as well as a succulent texture. There is considerable amber at the edge, and this 1982 would appear to be drying out slightly on the finish. However, I was surprised by just how well it performed (6/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1982 Vieux Château Certan Pomerol
Price: $375.00    Sale $330
Quantity in Stock: 21

(93 points) Not yet fully mature, this wine reveals some amber at the edge as well as a complex, intoxicating nose of cedar, licorice, spice box, black currants, and cherries. While medium to full-bodied with sweet tannins, and beautiful concentration, it appears to me that more recent vintages are stronger and denser than the 1982. Nevertheless, it is a beauty that can be drunk now and over the next 15-16 years. (6/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1982 Chateau L'Evangile Pomerol
Price: $695.00    Sale $611.60       Case $7089
Quantity in Stock: 20

"Dark plum-colored with purple nuances, this complex 1982 reveals notions of cedar, allspice, black raspberries, blackberries, and currants. Expansive on the palate, with superb density, low acidity, full body, and a juicy, fat, mouth-staining mid-palate, this youthful Pomerol is approaching full maturity. Powerful and concentrated, it will evolve effortlessly for another 15-20 years.†(95 Points) Wine Advocate # 129, June 2000

1982 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou St. Julien
Price: $420.00    Your $369.60
Quantity in Stock: 10

(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

1982 Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste Pauillac
Price: $279.00    Sale $245.52
Quantity in Stock: 2

(96 Points) This is a tour de force, and one of the all-time great Grand-Puy-Lacostes ever produced, as I hope the 2000 and 2005 will become. This is an inky/purple, beefy, broad, super-rich Pauillac revealing classic creme de cassis notes intermixed with hints of spring flowers and crushed rocks. Full-bodied with sweet tannin, shocking concentration, and layers of fruit, this irresistible 1982 is still an adolescent in terms of its evolution. Anticipated maturity: now-2035. Release price: ($85.00/case) Wine Advocate #183, Jun 2009

1982 Chateau Leoville Las Cases St. Julien
Price: $495.00    Sale $435.60
Quantity in Stock: 6

(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

1982 Chateau Mouton Rothchild Pauillac
Price: $1469.00    Sale Price: $1175.00
Quantity in Stock: 27

(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

1982 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion Pessac Leognan
Price: $1200.00    Sale Price: $995.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(100 Points) The greatest La Mission Haut Brion made between the 1975 and 1989, the 1982 is, stylistically, a dead-ringer for the ethereal 1959. One of the most massive wines of the vintage, it remains an adolescent in terms of evolution, but it can be drunk with great pleasure if it is decanted 2-3 hours in advance. A thick, unctuously-textured wine with massive richness as well as abundant notes of black fruits, truffles, creosote, scorched earth, smoke, and camphor, a colossal mouthfeel, a layered texture, incredible depth of fruit and glycerin, and copious, but well-integrated tannins that are largely concealed by the incredible amount of fruit. An old school La Mission, it is a tour de force that should continue to age effortlessly for another 40 years. A monumental wine! Wine Advocate # 183 Jun 2009

Menu

Selection of cheese

Tuna Tartar with sundried tomato remoulade

Crispy Duck confit with wild berry natural sauce

This tasting is limited to 14 tasters and is $395 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Other 1982 Vintage wines in the store:

1982 Chateau Cheval Blanc St. Emilion
Price: $895.00    Sale Price: $749.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(96 Points) All in harmony. Deserves its reputation. Dark ruby. Smoke, black truffle, berry and cherry. Full-bodied, velvety and fine.--Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2005. –JS Wine Spectator Issue: Jun 30, 2001

1982 Chateau Petrus Pomerol
Price: $4950.00  Your Price: $4356.00
Quantity in Stock: 6

(98 Points) From barrel, this remains one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. Whether fining and filtration pulled more out of it than was intended, only the proprietor knows. However, the 1982 Petrus turned in a strong performance in Philadelphia in contrast to other tastings when it has been less than spectacular. The color reveals some amber at the edge. A sweet nose of caramel, roasted herbs, cherry jam, cedar, and smoke is followed by a thick, full-bodied, unctuously-textured, low acid Petrus that is approaching full maturity. This was a dazzling showing for this 1982, which has performed irregularly since birth. Although abundant tannin remains, the wine is sweet, smoky, and ideal for drinking now and over the next 20-25 years. A bottle drunk in France in March, 2000, was equally sublime. Wine Advocate # 129 Jun 2000

1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac (375ml)
Price: $950.00    Sale Price: $799.00
Quantity in Stock: 8

1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac (Magnum)
List Price: $6995.00    Your Price: $5945.75
Quantity in Stock: 6

1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac
Price: $3000.00  Your Price: $2640.00
Quantity in Stock: 1

(100 Points) The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild's immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2070. Wine Advocate # 129 June 2000

1982 Chateau La Lagune Haut Medoc
Price: $230.00    Sale Price: $175.00
Quantity in Stock: 12

1982 Château La Conseillante Pomerol Magnum
Price: $995.00    Your Price: $875.60
Quantity in Stock: 1

1982 Moulin de Carruades
Price: $300.00    Sale Price: $240.00
Quantity in Stock: 1