TN: 1982 Chateau Gruaud-Larose

This bottle did not receive the prep that it probably deserved but pulled it from the cellar on a whim to partner a dry aged beef rib roast on a frosty winter’s evening.
Should have been stood up for a week or so.
It’s cloudy, murky, still with good colour. A quick decant removes quite a deal of sediment, but as one would expect. The nose is briary, tobacco, black olives, with some minty Cabernet notes. There’s a distinct wiff of Brett, but i expected it from an 80s Gruaud. It’s manageable though. The palate is old school Bordeaux, with a fineness and fresh, just ripe Cabernet profile. It’s quite energetic, carried by its acids and just clipped by some equine influence. Great with the beef.

Some of those '80’s Gruauds are funkier than James Brown.

I had a bottle of this last year that was en fuego. Just epic stuff. But then I like some funk in my wine and music.

I don’t like funk In my music, but a controlled amount in my wine. For me Gruaud 1982 has a tiny bit that really makes it pop. A favorite 1982.

I am not a funk fan in wine, but something about the old Cordier stable - Gruaud, Talbot and Meyney - were very much to my liking despite the funk, or perhaps in part because of it. To me it was always more smooth saddle leather than dirt and poop. I have had Gruaud back to 1966 and they have generally been quite enjoyable. I still have a 1970 and 1975 that I have owned for 40-ish years that I will open at BF 10.2 because they don’t travel well so I open them at my house.

I like the funk in all of it!

Bring on Tone Loc!

Funny calling it the Cordier “stable” of wines…

When they shed it, they almost always do, they really can shine.

To me this is the best buy of 1982 high end Bordeaux from the Left Bank. At many Blind Tastings this wine was on par or almost on par with the iconic Latour and Mouton. The Firsts are three or even four times pricier but only slightly better sometimes. Essential is storing because if the bottles were stored too warm the Brett can become dominating. From perfect bottles the Brett is only a small part of the enjoyment and not disgusting.

I don’t think they shed it. If they have it, it’s there. I’m with Jurgen on that point. The 82 and 86 GL is as good as non-FG gets, with its funk.

I agree—once it blooms it only gets more pronounced. Also, while I generally buy into the storage conditions playing a role, I’ve had bottles from the same case all over the place in terms of brettiness. I have had both vintages with and without meaningful brett. While I’m fine with some Cordier funk (and own a ton of 70’s and 80’s examples of Gruaud, Meyney, and Talbot when Georges Pauli was making all of them), the rare “clean” examples of those two vintages have been awesome. The concentration on the ‘82 is incredible, and perhaps my best experience with it came from 1/2 bottle about a year ago. It is also worth noting how consistently good Pauli’s wines were in many other less heralded vintages.

Splitting hairs here, but as much as I love the 86 Gruaud, I think the 82 is that much better. To wit, there are only a small handful of 82s that can outshine the Gruaud, but I’d put a good ~15-20 86s ahead of the Gruaud.

agree with Jay, these older Cordier wines are classic bordeaux, which includes some funk. Love the '82 Gruaud and still glad I bought a bunch while back. This and the '82 Pichon Lalande are well worth seeking out