TN: 1982 Bordeaux dinner

WINE TALK
1

1982 BORDEAUX DINNER - The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown (10/20/2013)

Jim suggested organizing a dinner to check how the 82 Bordeaux are drinking. Unfortunately Alan’s flight from Ohio got cancelled so seven of us got together at the grill room. The wine service was exceptional as usual and the dishes were nicely executed.

At the age of 31, the 82s are still incredibly youthful and fresh. They display hedonistic intense sweet fruits and exceptional concentration. Although they are drinking beautifully, only La Lagune and VCC seem to be fully ready. We discussed if the price of FGs are justifiable compare to the others and most of us agree that they are not. In this session, the 82 PL and GL showed as well as the FGs.
Starters
This was a beautiful autumn day and we proceeded to the roof deck to start with the whites. The 90 Dom was showing incredible well. The Reveneau was very raveneau.

  • 2002 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Pleasant surprise, not premoxed. Yellow fruits, oily, lemon curd and limestone. Excellent concentration, mineral and piercing acidity. Very lean and sharp overall impression. Very little sweetness in the fruit impression. (92 pts.)
  • 2007 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Pineapple, yellow fruits but also green a la granny smith. Paul mentioned oily/light caramel impression coming from the fruit concentration and I agree. No noticeable oak showing. Good precision. A nice domestic Chardonnay. (93 pts.)
  • 2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
    Very Ravenau, mountain stream, saline, oily and cool. Excellent concentration, linear and precise. (94 pts.)
  • 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - France, Champagne
    Absolutely gorgeous. Brioche, yellow fruits, smoke, baked apple and a hint of baking spices. Quite delicate palate with fine mousse but also intense sweet yellow fruits. Perfectly matured Dom. Once again, I highly recommend to buy the 02 Dom and start consume in ten to fifteen years. (97 pts.)

First Growth
Unfortunately the Lafite showed a sign of heat damage. The others showed exceptional well. The HB definitely over delivered.

  • 1982 Château Haut-Brion - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
    A very fresh example, expressive nose displaying ripe sweet red fruits, plum, graphite, smoke, mushroom and earth. A hint of green that keeps the wine interesting and accentuates graphite and smoke notes. Medium concentration, silky and nice integrated tannins. This is a classic HB that seems to show less of the 82 vintage characteristics than the other FGs. Not having the same degree of concentration and more ready compare to the other 82 FGs. Nevertheless a classic HB with great balance that is drinking magnificently. (97 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    It is a great pleasure to drink this magnificent wine only two months apart. Starts slow, cassis, intense dark fruits, lead pencil, mint, cedar and caramel. Exceptional concentration, sweet, silky and nicely integrated tannins. Perfectly balanced palate impression and long length. With time, the becomes more intense and sweeter. The palate also gains weight. Flirting with perfection. (99 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
    This also started slow, sweet red fruits, cassis, medium dark caramel and baked berries. Excellent concentration and silky palate. With time, the fruit got sweeter and the palate gained weight. Intense sweet fruits, roasted fruits, cedar and earth. This seems to display the sweetest fruit impression. (98 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Slightly muted and flat, telltale sign of heat damage. Decent nose of cedar, lead pencil, plum and caramel. Very little energy and the fruit expression is flat and slightly lacking. Having tasted a correct bottle, I am aware how great this wine can be. Nevertheless, the inconsistency and the price make the wine not worth chasing. Also as Paul mentioned, the 82 Lafite gets traded way too much. (92 pts.)

Mostly Second Growth
The 82 Ducrus appears to have a cork issue and the Cos seems inconsistent. On the other hand, the 82 PL was flirting with perfection and the 82 GL was impressive which are consistent with my past experiences.

  • 1982 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    Corked! I believe there have been a number of discussions regarding inconsistency of the 82 Ducru. Another wine not to chase. NR (flawed)
  • 1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
    Explosive nose of cassis, dark fruits, cedar, a hint of lead pencil, lavander and mushroom. Great example of the vintage and the chateau, intense ripe dark fruit and noticeable green note are nicely integrated to make the wine hedonistic yet fresh. This bottle showed the similar concentration and development as the 82 HB. Medium concentration, intense dark fruit, silky and nicely integrated tannins. This is perhaps the best and freshest example that I had. Jim mentioned the short finish and IMO, the perfect balance and airy palate may give that impression. Intense yet precise. This is a kind of wine that I would be happy to drink a whole bottle. (99 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Calon-Ségur - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
    Caramel note that is identical to the 82 Margaux, intense sweet dark fruits, cedar and cassis. Good concentration, cedar, intense sweet fruits and nicely integrated tannins. Drinking nicely. (94 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
    The best and freshest example of the 82 GL that I had. Intense sweet dark fruits, cassis and lead pencil. Exceptional concentration, intense sweet fruits, bright acidity and long finish. Perhaps the most concentrated wine of the night. Intense sweetness and bright acidity. This bottle has a long life ahead. (98 pts.)
  • 1982 Château La Lagune - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
    Drinking deliciously, sweet read fruits, lead pencil, leather, cedar, mushroom and earth. The nose is not unlike the others but a bit shier and more subtle. Silky palate and a hint of dry tannins as the end note. Drinking beautifully, no need to wait. (93 pts.)

The 82 Ducrus appears to have a cork issue and the Cos seems not consistent. On the other hand, the 82 PL was flirting with perfection and the 82 GL was impressive which are consistent with my past experiences.

  • 1982 Château Canon - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
    Expressive nose displaying mostly red fruits, dark chocolate, leather and mushroom. Excellent concentration, a bit chewy and slightly rustic. Nicely integrated tannins. Drinking beautifully but will age further. (94 pts.)
  • 1982 Château Cos d’Estournel - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
    This bottle was slightly off. Still intense sweetness but a bit disjointed and slightly off. NR (flawed)
  • 1982 Vieux Château Certan - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
    A bit shy, round and soft. A hint of cassis, red fruits, milky chocolate and leather. Medium concentration, silky palate and fully integrated tannins. Lovely and absolutely no need to wait. (93 pts.)
  • 1982 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon William Short - USA, California, Sonoma County
    Served blind, some red fruits, dry cherries, bright acidity and fully integrated tannins. I called it Musar, no idea. Need to be drunk up. (89 pts.)

As usual, our dinner lasted almost six hours. This was another memorable dinner sharing great wines with great friends!

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Great tasting! Thanks for the report.

3

Just picked up a bottle of the 82 PLL. Gosh I hope when I open it, it’ll provide me with a similar experience!

Thanks!

4

could you even say… it was… ravenous? [snort.gif]

5

As usual an excellent report from Kevin on a very enviable OL.

6

We had the same experience at a similar tasting with the 1982 Mouton which to the best of my recollection is the least rated of them all. What do they know anyway. The 1982 PLL is perfect when perfect. Thanks for sharing.

7

Thanks, Kevin, for inviting me and also for taking such excellent notes. We largely agree on which wines showed best last night (HB, PL, Mouton), although I don’t think I enjoyed the GL quite as much as you did. I was shocked at how youthful almost all of the wines were. Luckily, 82s stored properly are going to be giving people a lot of pleasure for many years to come.

Also, we had a German for dessert, even though no one ordered any actual dessert!

1976 Schloss Schönborn Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Auslese

8

Scott,
The 76 Auslese was excellent. The Dom was also incredibly tasty.

9

Opened an 82 La Lagune just a couple of days ago. Similar impression to yours except my bottle was perhaps a bit more advanced. Just on the verge of starting to dry out.

10

Scott,

Just a little thanks in advance for all the '82 Bordeaux you plan on opening next time you’re at Domaine neener

11

Both of my recent experiences with '82 Mouton - a couple years ago, back to back - have put this wine in the pantheon of my personal Bdx favorites ever.

The La Lagune is no slouch, by the way. Yummy stuff still priced right!

12

First and last time I ever fly AIRTRAN. Sorry I missed this event. Had a great time spending 9 hours at the Dayton airport. Kept on thinking about what I was missing. On the positive side my son at Miami of Ohio is doing just great!

13

Haha - I took to this dinner literally the only '82 Bordeaux I had in my cellar. Other attendees, however, also store their wine at Domaine [cheers.gif]

14

Interesting read, Kevin, even though I don’t drink Bordeaux.

Curious as to you giving a 92 to a heat damaged wine though?

thanks!

15

Eric,
After 31 years, how the wine was cellared matters a lot.

Alan,
It is too bad that you missed the dinner. We should get together soon.

Mike,
It was only slightly heat damaged. I debated whether to rate the wine.

16

It was WOTN at our 82 big guns tasting last year. I hope you get a great bottle.

17

Kevin; Awesome and timely report…Thank you.

I also opened a bottle of La Lagune last week and (similar to Eric I.) it was a bit more advanced than my last couple of bottles. I may have a bottle or two left and it seems to be the time to finish them up.

Cheers!
Marshall [thankyou.gif]

18

Thanks Kevin. I’m still holding in to my last 1982 HB, PL and GRs, so your notes are really appreciated.