1982 Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling Select Late Harvest

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 93.5 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View John Dunlap's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/12/2019 - John Dunlap Likes this wine: 95 Points

  First Night - Time for another esoteric wine. Purchased a few years back from Burkes' Wines with the hope that it would be a fun bottle to try.
  
  I think they used lead capsules back then. Anyway, 1.25 inch ullage. Color is dark.
  
  Cork extracted in several pieces; was a bit soft. Color is Madeira-like with lots of amber brown tones. Nose is delicate and includes some raisin and brown sugar elements. Fascinating but difficult to understand as I have had very few old Rieslings.
  
  Flavors of raisin with honey rich florals, acacia, black tea, and a bit of spice plus just a touch of treacle, make for an interesting wine to drink. There is also is a bit of pineapple acidity on the palate that keeps the mouth-watering. A delicate wine, yet outstanding given its age and the fact that it's a Sonoma Valley Riesling. Probably at its top 10 years ago, but still holding on nicely. Do drink-up as I can't image further improvement with age. Curious if many 1982 German late harvest Rieslings would hold up this well? Will never know. 92 Points.
  
  Second Night - Wine has improved even further and has settled down to reveal core flavors of toast, brown sugar, along with acidity and elements of grilled apricots. Appears more complete tonight as opposed to "delicate" as I describe last night. Really stunning!
  
  Now, was the wine at its apex or "top 10 years ago" as I mentioned yesterday? Hum, not certain I can answer that question since it is drinking really beautifully at present. Still, probably best to enjoy sooner rather than later. Clearly, one of the best wine I've tasted this year. Elevated to 95 Points with a drinking window of 2020.
  
  Back of label notes:
  Harvest dates: Oct 12, 1982
  Natural sugar at harvest: 31.9 Brix
  RS after fermentation: 14.0% by weight
  Average total acidity: .95% by weight
  Total acid at bottling: .92% by weight
  Date bottled: Jan. - Feb. 1983
  Richard L. Arrowood, Winemaster
  
  (On the first night - served with an orange polenta cake with whipped cream and blood orange sauce, which was a good combo. BTW the dessert made the wine tasted less sweet. And on the second night - served with roasted chestnuts, which was a wonderful combo.)

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View LightDancer's profile
  • Report Issue

  10/1/2019 - LightDancer wrote: 92 Points

  This wine capped a delightful dinner party. Still in fine condition after nearly 40 years. Honeyed, intense stone fruits -- plum and apricot.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.