Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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Comte Flaneur
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Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Last night eight of us participated in a dinner which will remain forever etched in the memory. It was the last of Howard Ripley's series of Bordeaux dinners at the Medlar Restaurant in London, celebrating some of the legendary vintages of the 20th century. Previously he organised dinners to taste first growths and equivalent, from 1945,1959 and 1961, none of which I attended. Last night it was 1982. But first we drank some champagne: 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blancs De Millenaires, 1964 and 2004 Dom Perignon and 1995 Krug. They were all interesting in their own way but my favourite was the Heidsieck. The DPs were at the opposite ends of the maturity spectrum, the 1964 still hanging on, the 2004 clearly needing laying down, while the Krug was vibrant and youthful. I preferred Jim's 2005 DP in NY to the 2004. A sweet corn and foie gras velouté we had with the DPs and Krug was a masterpiece.

On to the main event. The first flight of 1982s with cepes and poached egg was Haut-Brion, La Mission Haut-Brion and Chateau Margaux.

Haut-Brion. Bright garnet, quite a subdued nose, wonderful expansive rich chocolatey mouth feel, beautifully resolved, with red bricks, earth, a silky texture and luxurious finish. This wine was opened at 6pm while the others were opened and double decanted around mid-afternoon over a concern that this might fade. It was the most advanced wine of the flight and the night, but was in my opinion in a perfect place. It may have lacked a bit of mid-palate oomph compared to the other 1982s we drank over the evening, but overall it was glorious. Drink now. 97 points

La Mission Haut-Brion. A bit darker, a bit more reticent and notably more rumbustious than the Haut-Brion, this still has residual spikey tannins, which will mellow over the years but did not detract from the enjoyment last night. It had a super berry fruit profile, gravel, minerals and truffles and is another superb wine. This is probably in the first decade of a multi-decade drinking window. Thrilling. 97

Chateau Margaux. This had a more effusive bouquet of berries, violets, white flowers and a bit of lead pencil which was quite intoxicating. It was surprisingly youthful, however, and more tannic on the palate than I remember from previous bottles. It didn't quite have the seamless velvety mid-palate than has been the hallmark of other bottles of Chateau Margaux 1982. There was nothing faulty about this wine, and it was still an absolute treat to drink. It will last for many more decades. Absolutely no hurry to drink this. 96

The next flight was Pauillac with venison. We had Mouton, Lafite, Latour and Pichon Lalande in that order. The Samaritans left the phone off the hook, which is why we had to resort to drinking these wines.

Mouton-Rothschild. Rich berry nose, full-bodied, rich, powerful, flamboyant, exotic, dense, velvety palate, super acidic spine and balance. Just epic. You can drink this now but this will surely evolve into a legendary wine over the coming decades and outlive most of us. 99

Lafite-Rothschild. It had a bizarre lick of eucalyptus, mint and menthol. Once you get past the disconcerting nose it was just pure class. This has a strong and stern acidic backbone, terrific line and impeccable balance and finish which exudes such class. Of all the wines we tried this was the least ready to drink and the most difficult to understand. In my opinion in 20-40 years time it will be challenging for wine of the vintage accolade. 98 for now

Latour. Perfect balance, rich, complex, opulent black fruit, impeccable mouthfeel, multilayered, so complete, absolutely breath-taking. When I drank this for my 50th in 2013 it was just perfect and an easy 100 points. Last night it was still a little on the young side, and not as exotic as the Mouton. 99

Pichon Lalande. It had a decadent rich coffee and mocha attack. It had a surprisingly thick, creamy texture and was full-bodied and exuberant. This was a good bottle of this now legendary wine, firing on all cylinders. It perhaps lacked the sheer class, poise and complexity of its flight mates, however. Drink now. 97

With the cheese flight we went over to the right bank to taste Cheval Blanc and Ausone.

Cheval Blanc. Beautiful hue. Exotic, rich, seductive nose of black cherries, with myriad other nuances, leading into a rich, decadent, exotic, mouth filling palate. This is in a perfect place right now. Drop dead gorgeous. 98

Ausone. Definitely the underdog last night, but this was an absolutely splendid bottle of a wine I have enjoyed a few times in the past with mostly happy experiences. What it lacked in seductive exoticism - of the Cheval Blanc - it made up for in its multi-faceted, nuanced complexity. While the pent up tension of the previous flight was palpable, these two wines were much more easy going. The Ausone was perfectly pitched with pure wild strawberries, nuances of forest floor, autumn leaves, summer breeze, Provençal herbs spices and minerals. In a perfect place. Pure joy. 98

With Creme Brûlée

Chateau D'Yquem 1988

Getting to the end of this case now. A wine now approaching middle age it has never let me down, and was the perfect way to sign off. 97

For wine of the night only the reds were included, and it was a close run thing. If you don't want to read the result look away now.

Margaux, Pichon Lalande 0
Lafite, Ausone 1
La Mission 2
Haut-Brion 4
Cheval Blanc 10
Latour 13
Mouton 14

In conclusion these wines really are rock stars. They are only getting better. For most of them the best lies ahead. Epic wines in a legendary vintage.
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JonathanP
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by JonathanP »

I still remember a 64 DP I had in Sydney a decade ago. Effervescence gone, but great complexity and not dissimilar to an aged Burgundy.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

Baby doll. 1982 is true greatness.
Your experience with the '82 Mouton was like the one we had at Stefan's. Magnificent.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by stefan »

It is hard to choose from among so many great wines. All those '82s are fantastic.

That 1995 Charles Heidsieck is one of the best Champagnes from that house IMO. The 2005 might surpass it in time.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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This reminds me of how much I hate you, Ian.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Given that the Samaritans are no longer picking up the phone we have to deal with our post-Brexit depression, exacerbated by the onset of the darkness, drudgery and coolth of the fall and onset of winter, by resorting to drinking claret of the finest calibre. Or Sauternes. We have Yquem on Thursday night and I believe St-Emilion first growths in early Nov, then Figeac a week later. As someone with an acute persecution complex I am comfortable being hated.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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Comte Flaneur wrote:Given that the Samaritans are no longer picking up the phone we have to deal with our post-Brexit depression, exacerbated by the onset of the darkness, drudgery and coolth of the fall and onset of winter, by resorting to drinking claret of the finest calibre. Or Sauternes. We have Yquem on Thursday night and I believe St-Emilion first growths in early Nov, then Figeac a week later. As someone with an acute persecution complex I am comfortable being hated.
Well, if it makes you feel any better (or worse), I am sure we all hate you right now, but in the most affectionate way possible.

Coming to the Convention in 2017 would go a long way to closing the breach, however.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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Wow! A dramatic challenge!
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Nicklasss
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Nicklasss »

Nice report Ian and as a compliment, I would add that you have a "Parkerized" palate!

Opposite to Blanquito, I like you as you took the time to report here, on those 1982, but I'm sad that none reach the magical top number.

1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild being my top dry red, 1982 Chateau Cheval Blanc was great when I had it with JScott in 2007 but needed 10 more years to blossom so understand from your rating I was almost right, 1982 Chateau Haut Brion glorious in it's Graves way, and 1982 Chateau Pichon Lalande a magical Pauillac.

See ya in 2017, in North America!

Nic
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

Wow! A challenge from Canada!
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Blanquito
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Blanquito »

I am prepared to start a collection to subsidize Ian's airfare to BWE '17. We can at least cover the difference between London and NYC!
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

...And Maureen too!
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Blanquito
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Blanquito »

On a serious note, I've had three of those wines before (the Pichon Lalande, the Margaux and most recently the Haut Brion, which I also gave 97 pts too), and each was in the upper tier of the best wines I've ever had. That said, the Marguax might just surpass the other two, and it will certainly last longer.

Great notes (as always) on some legends.
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Nicklasss
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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I remember the convention of 03 in NYC when I was having a glass of 1982 Chateau Margaux in a hand, and a glass of the 1983 Chateau Margaux in the other, a tremendous moment. If Uma Thurman would have been in the room, it would have been a very perfect moment!

That night I preferred the 1982 because being slightly more open but two great Margaux that will hold forever.

Nic
Last edited by Nicklasss on Wed Oct 19, 2016 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Comte Flaneur
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Comte Flaneur »

Man the exchange rate is a killer! But when it comes to BWE 17 never say never!

Planting a seed. Since London is cheep cheep, how about BWE 2018 over here?
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by JimHow »

BWE London would definitely be awesome. I hate the idea of skipping our every-other-year in DC.
And I'm assuming France for our 20th anniversary in 2020….
Maybe '19?
We'll see. Let's get past 2017 first.
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stefan
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

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London would be great if we can figure out how to take more than the legal allotment of bottles.
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by sdr »

Yeah, those '82s are freakin' wonderful.

Great notes, Ian, your enthusiasm shines through, especially since you can be a tough grader.

As a dutiful Parker whore, I gobbled up lots of '82s on release and still pick up more if I can find well stored examples, and I am rarely disappointed. A local wine shop stumbled on a collection of them with perfect provenance so I traded much of my swill, my car and my house to pick up a few more bottles.

My WOTV? No surprise, it's the flamboyant Mouton, with Latour and Lafite very close.

Those who enjoy baby killer vintages can have them, give me more '82.

Stu
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Blanquito
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Re: Putting the hammer down with some 1982 Bordeaux

Post by Blanquito »

Yes, count me in for a BWE London.
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