Chateau Batailly 1982

WINE TALK
#1

I had originally put this on Commerce Corner, but with no takers, I offered it to my Zoom group, who were glad to grab it. This left me with several extra bottles, and with some gorgeous Berkshire pork chops on the grill, I thought I would open one.

The cork was easy to pull, and the color was still very crimson, but with the browning one would expect from a wine of this age. The aromas are Pauillac, blackcurrant, cedar, freshly tanned leather, and a floral element. Unexpected, was a slight wintergreen element, which I am not used to seeing in a 1982, but was very welcome. As with many 1982s, despite the richness, there is tremendous delineation as the flavors combined or as a single nuance. The wine is fully mature, but I will probably need to drink over the next couple of years. Finishing off just short of very long. A bit of a sleeper this. 94-5

#2

That wintergreen element has never appealed to me. It spoils some bottles of ‘61 Latour I have tasted — one famous wine I don’t have to regret not being able to afford.

#3

I bought three bottles of this upon release and tasted it three times. In 1996 it was horribly tannic. In 1997 the experience was better. When last tasted in 2002, it was awesome and on an upward trajectory. I attribute this to being young and naive. [head-bang.gif]