Guy's Night: 1982 Bordeaux -- One for the Books

Jason P's, St. Paul, MN
Tasted Thursday, November 10, 2022 by rocknroller with 98 views

Introduction

This was the regular gathering for guy's night at Jason's. Six of us were in attendance including Jason's CT friend Marvin (JP, DS, JG, SP, KB, Marvin). Great to meet you and have you with us Marvin. At our last tasting, the idea of a 1982 Bordeaux tasting started getting tossed around. Well how can you go wrong with that. Everyone was in for the idea, so that was our theme for tonight. I don't think anyone anticipated ending up with the line up of wines we had. Fun wines all, but thanks to Jason's incredible generosity with had a trio of the greatest of 1982 and that says a lot as there are many in this fine vintage. Thanks to Jason for a night none of us will forget. From the great food to the blind '82 Lafite. Wow, what a night.

Flight 1 - Starter Champagne (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Champagne (1 Note)

  • 2005 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    Light gold color. Drank a glass over 45 minutes. This was quite lovely, and an understated yet complex Cristal. I was struck by the nose with its almond paste, confections, pear toffee, apple, and nutmeg spices. The palate shows all that and adds Meyer lemon and mandarin orange notes on a mid weight frame with more nuanced mineral notes. An elegant expression.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 3 - White (1 Note)

  • 2013 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Light medium gold color. Drank a glass over an hour plus. The nose is wafting wet stones, more tropical this time; pineapple, pear, lemon peel, spice cake. The palate is full bodied, less tropical, pear, candied lemon, lemon peel, less mineral definition than the nose or the previous bottle, and there's a sweet dulce de leche note right before the spicy oak notes on the back end. I found the nose a notch better than the palate tonight.

    Read 2 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 4 - 1982 Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 1982 Château Sociando-Mallet 91 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Very dark red/purple color, 3mm clear edge. Drank a glass plus over 3 hours. The nose is deeply earthy, tobacco leaf, mint, cassis. The palate is very even handed, cassis, black cherry, with hints of boysenberry, earth, a little gravel, nice spice notes and a lovely well integrated finish. Charming wine.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1982 Château Calon-Ségur Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Brown tinged deep red color. Maderized and likely heat damaged though underneath it all you can still see what this wine wants to be. Very earthy with dark fruit and hints of blue fruit, tobacco. Too bad, a bottle 6 weeks ago was impressive.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 - 1982 Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 1982 Château Lynch-Bages 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Saturated Very dark red/purple color. Splash double decanted for sediment before leaving, then decanted for about an hour prior to serving. The nose is the star here, really big damp earth and mossy notes, tar, black cherry, tobacco leaf, char, and then the pencil comes through loud and clear. The palate is also very earthy, loam, deep and dense with some smoke, sappy blackberry, plum, charcoal, and a little vegetal undertone, pencil, full bodied, and showing round tannins. Very good, youthful in a sense, still may develop a bit further.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1982 Château Montrose 95 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass plus over 3 hours. This was showing more fruit the the Lynch, but seemingly more brooding too at the start. Dried leaves, black currants and blackberry, truffle, savory with a vein of blue fruits. As this opens there's more funk and old saddle aromas that adds another dimension. The palate shows the classic dark fruits, concentrated, mineral dense, a core of lead pencil stands out, dried earth, savory, hints of blue fruit, full and long with satiny tannins. Plenty of life left, in fact still needs some air. 94+ to 95pts.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 6 - 1982 Flight 3 (3 Notes)

  • 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Very dark red/purple color, 2mm clear margin. Drank a glass plus over 3 hours plus. This was in a trifecta of killer '82's including '82 LMHB, '82 Haut Brion, and '82 Lafite. The Lafite was a mystery wine ringer drank blind in the grouping. The La Mish has a stunning, head turning nose; it is so resoundingly aromatic and perfumed, gorgeous red fruits, brambly berries, splendid cigar notes, crushed violets, fine pencil shavings, dried leaves, leather, almost garrigue like dried herbs, and hint of fine dark chocolate. Wow, just killer on the nose. The palate is outstanding too, but it can't possibly live up to that nose though it comes reasonably close. More elegance and a softer texture on the medium full body frame, red fruits, but also tart cassis, tangy red cherry, gravel, pencil, subtle chocolate, layered with fine tannins and very long on the finish. Very impressive, though by the end of the night the vision became blurry as all of these wines changed and somewhat reordered themselves. For the first two hours or more, the LMHB at its peak was clearly the stand out, By the end of the night (4hrs in) the the HB and Lafite had come together more harmoniously as the LMHB lost a little of the nose whilst the other's evolved further to make things very interesting. The Haut Brion and Lafite were nearly on par with each other giving a subtle nod to the HB, and the LMHB was just a step behind then. On the strength of that nose, 97+pts at peak.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1982 Château Haut-Brion 97 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

    Very dark red plus color, 4mm transitional margin. Three hour decant, then drank a glass plus over 3 hours plus. This was in a trifecta of killer '82's including '82 LMHB, '82 Haut Brion, and '82 Lafite. The Lafite was a mystery wine ringer drank blind in the grouping. Lovely to start, but not the powerhouse that the LMHB is on the nose out of the gate. The nose builds reaching a zenith some 3 hours later. But the palate is driving everything from the start. Dried herbs, dried forest floor, fine tobacco, leather, cassis, deep cherry, and scorched earth on the nose. The palate is sublime and so refined, cigar, cassis, leather, youthful in its 40 years, red cherry, loads of well defined scorched earth and creosote, a little herbal, with a very long, intense finish. This all continues to evolve over the evening with the nose hitting new heights and the whole package showing a harmony that was right there with the LMHB at its peak.

    For the first two hours or more, the LMHB at its peak was clearly the stand out, By the end of the night (4hrs in) the the HB and Lafite had come together more harmoniously as the LMHB lost a little of the nose whilst the other's evolved further to make things very interesting. The Haut Brion and Lafite were nearly on par with each other giving a subtle nod to the HB, and the LMHB was just a step behind then. None of these wines are in any danger of falling off in the near future.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

    Very dark red/purple almost youthful color, 4mm transitional margin. Three hour decant, then drank a glass plus over 3 hours plus. This was in a trifecta of killer '82's including '82 LMHB, '82 Haut Brion, and '82 Lafite. The Lafite was a mystery wine ringer drank blind in the grouping. Interestingly, it was the fruit and purity of the red fruit that stood out initially for me. Char, dried earth, cherry, red currants and dark berries, leather, and violets on the nose. The palate seems the most resolved with a wonderfully silky texture, classic Bordeaux character, cherry, cassis, dark red berries, splendid spice notes, integrated tannins and such elegance. It is always a bit of a conundrum to drink a wine like this blind, but it was fun to watch it evolve in glass and become what you would hope for. In the end the Lafite was the most elegant and dare I say feminine of the group.

    For the first two hours or more, the LMHB at its peak was clearly the stand out, By the end of the night (4hrs in) the the HB and Lafite had come together more harmoniously as the LMHB lost a little of the nose whilst the other's evolved further to make things very interesting. The Haut Brion and Lafite were nearly on par with each other giving a subtle nod to the HB, and the LMHB was just a step behind then. None of these wines are in any danger of falling off in the near future. This was an incredible trio, thank you Jason for sharing these wines. 96 to 96+pts.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 - Dessert (1 Note)

×
×