82 Mouton a Birthday Treat

[dstgolf]

A big day deserved a big wine that I've been sitting on for this moment for almost 20 years. When I saw the label showing this was the 60th anniversary wine years back and 60th vintage under Baron Philippe Rothschild I knew this was the ideal buy for my 60th. The day has come and gone and I'll say no birthday to date has got me so down as this one...but I'll get over it.

With my kids over we had filet with peppercorn sauce which was a perfect match for this perfect bottle. I've had the pleasure twice before the last with SDR in an 82 Latour/ Mouton showdown that had Latour out by a neck. This time the bottle was simply perfection. A nose that wouldn't quit. Beautiful balance and well down the road of maturity but in a good way. Leather,tobacco and cedar dominated over the classic graphite you get in the youth. Tannins fully resolved thrown onto the bottom of the bottle with heavy sediment with the wine in glass showing a garnet hue rather than the youthful inky purple. Dark red fruit with cassis and black cherries in the background and at least 60 second linger on the back end. This was about as good as you expect a wine to be in its lifetime. This isn't falling off the map by any means but there is not point to rest much longer in your cellars because I can't see any upside in sitting on this. Best wine of the year so far and one of my best ever ....in my top 10 for sure.

[stefan]

Happy birthday, Danny. We drank 82 Mouton in September and it was as good as you describe.

[Nicklasss]

Happy birthday Danny.

82 Mouton is my top red ever tasted, so I guess you had a great time. 60 years old? Nnnaaawwwww, you're kidding?

Nic

[DavidG]

Happy birthday Danny. I hear you re: 60. Don't sweat it, the alternative is worse.

[AlexR]

Happy birthday Danny.
It's at this point I'm supposed to say "Life begins at 60", or "60 is the new 40", or "Your only as old as you feel"
isn't it? )))

The jewel of my cellar is a 1982 Mouton, which I intend to open when I retire.

I've had it twice before (mature). Once donated by a Generous Benefactor at a BWE tasting in New York, and once a friend in Paris who had bought the stock of a restaurant going out of business.

It is a legendary wine.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[Comte Flaneur]

Happy Borthday Danny. You don't look 60....you celebrated in style

The bottle we had in our 1982 dinner in October was extraordinary and probably the best I have tried, neck and neck with or just edging out Latour. This bottle tasted as if it would continue to improve.

[JimHow]

Yes, '82 Mouton is pretty good.

[Blanquito]

Which is better, the 82 or 86 Mouton? Or maybe they're just both awesome in their own way. I've had the 86 Mouton once, probably the single greatest wine I've enjoyed (with some close competition), but I've not had the 82 Mouton.

Overall, I prefer 82 v 86, but there are a few Medoc wines where I (slightly) prefer the 86 rendition: Talbot, Rausan Segla, Montrose, Lagrange.

Happy 60th Danny. You are maturing well, like a vin garde.

[sdr]

Happy b-day, Danny.

On any given day, Mouton, Latour, Lafite and Pichon-Lalande can vie for wine of the '82 vintage.

Of course, that would have to be a very good day.

Stu

[Comte Flaneur]

Blanquito

I have been fortunate enough to have both a few times and have several thoughts:

1. They are both quite variable, the 1986 more so
2. They are never less than very good, sometimes sublime, sometimes extraordinary, but the 1986 can be frustratingly recalcitrant
3. The 1982 is readier - I think most would agree the 1986 probably needs more time
4. In my opinion the 1982 edges it, but that may change over time
5. These are probably the best modern vintages of Mouton...
6....with the exception of the 2009 which is greatest modern Mouton of all, and will surely eclipse the 1945?..
7...and possibly the 2010 but that vulgar label disqualifies it from any accolades (not had the 2000 yet)

[hautbrionlover]

I loved reading this thread, because I have been holding my one bottle of 1982 Mouton for a special occasion, and am inclined to open it for MY 60th in early spring!
I have had it twice before, and found it to be quite spectacular both times (although I still regard the first of two bottles I've had of the 1982 Pichon Lalande as the best wine I've ever had).

[dstgolf]

Thanks all for the birthday wishes. The bottle was at its peak for its vintage and a pinnacle in Bordeaux history... one of the true greats coming from this region all time. I'm very happy to have enjoyed it for my 60th with my generous wife who allowed me the pleasure of drinking more than my normal share. Right up there with one of the best wines to pass over these lips ever. To anyone that's sitting on this I hope that your bottle serves you as well as this one did me but don't wait too much longer as I said I don't see this one getting better but don't see it falling off the map in the near term either.

[MikeEvans]

Happy b-day, Danny.

On any given day, Mouton, Latour, Lafite and Pichon-Lalande can vie for wine of the '82 vintage.

Of course, that would have to be a very good day.

Stu

I would swap 1982 LLC for Pichon Lalande and omit Lafite from my list. I've had 1982 PL over 2 dozen times, many of them blind, and have consistently found it sweet, rich, and annoyingly monolithic. I recognize that I'm an extreme outlier on this wine, though.

The 1982 and 1986 Moutons are monumental wines, but the only wine I've experienced that shut down harder and longer than 1982 Mouton is the 1986. I think the 1986 will ultimately be the greater wine, but I think it will take another 30 years to be sure.

[dstgolf]

MikeEvans,

I think you've hit it on the head. These wines are all great but the best amounts to personal taste. I've had the 82 Las Cases multiple times and I've sat there and wondered what all the excitement is about. I guess you are in the group that finds something special that my tastebuds don't get. Very good wine but if I had my choice I'd go with the PLL. The nose on the PLL is mesmerizing to me and I could sniff this one all night without taking a sip....but you know that's not going to happen. That's my personal taste though and I know many rank LLC at or near the top of the great growths for 82 with it getting 100 eRP pts. Certainly good but I'd go elsewhere for my pleasure if I had to buy it....not saying I'd turn it down though if it was offered up ITNOS. To each his own and that's why this hobby is so fun ...trying to experience not only my personal pleasures but trying to understand why someone else is so crazy about a certain wine. No question a well crafted wine will be appreciated by all but its the nuances that make one choose one great growth over the other as their personal preference.