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Bordeaux 1982

The 1982 vintage was an excellent one for Bordeaux, as I have alluded to in my Twenty Years On: 1982 tasting. What made this a great vintage was, of course, great weather. A successful flowering in early summer resulted in a huge crop, at that time the largest ever recorded (although since exceeded by a number of other vintages). July remained hot, although August was cooler than was usual. Expectations were high as the harvest approached, but they were boosted even further by a September heatwave, the result of which was super-ripe grapes, both in respect of sugar content and physiology.

Although 1982 was one of the greatest vintages of recent decades. It is famous for other reasons, however, than just the quality of the wine. It has also gone down in history as the vintage in which Robert Parker made his name, declaring it as a great vintage when many established critics were decrying the wines. Parker himself, however, is happy to point out that first to heap praise rather than criticism upon the vintage was the French critic Michel Bettane.

On tasting the wines now, twenty or more years on, it seems clear that the 1982 vintage was truly an exceptional vintage. Over two decades on, many of the left bank wines continue to improve, and on the right bank wines that would now be dead in lesser vintages are drinking beautifully. The tasting notes below illustrate this very well indeed. (18/5/04)

Bordeaux 1982 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in May 2004. Click to locate stockists:

Chateau Potensac (Médoc) 1982: Corked.

Chatau Rauzan-Gassies (Margaux) 1982: Corked.

Chateau Patache d'Aux (Médoc) 1982: A good depth of colour. Mature fruit on the nose, a touch meaty, dark and dense. Medium body and nice balance on the palate. Good weight and texture too. Mature, slightly woody nuances. Drying out on midpalate and finish, and a little disjointed here too. It has lasted well though. Drink up. 15/20

Chateau Cantemerle (Haut-Médoc) 1982: A lovely colour with moderate depth. Wonderful aromatics alongside plentiful aromatics on the nose. full and richly textured on the palate, but with a firm touch of grip. Some tannins still present on the midpalate, and it still seems a little austere, with a firm finish. Plenty of texture though. 17+/20

Chateau Beau-Site (St Estèphe) 1982: A cru bourgeois property. A dark core, fading to a pink-orange rim. Lovely, open and expressive nose. A sweet, elegant palate, although with some power. Deliciously silky texture, with a soft and seductive appeal. Notes of dark bitter chocolate on the flavour profile. Ready now. 17.5/20

Chateau Labégorce-Zédé (Margaux) 1982: A cru bourgeois property. A dark, brown/tawny edge to a deep red hue. Good mature fruit on the nose. The palate is full and rich, with a firm, spicy edge. Good strong acidity. A bit tarry. Tannins well integrated. Good finish with some length. Certainly ready now. 16.5/20

Chateau Prieuré-Lichine (Margaux) 1982: A very dark, deep red wine with a pale pink rim but good concentration of colour close to the meniscus. Masses of sweet, ripe fruit on the nose, with a touch of toffee. There's plenty of character here. Great power is immediately apparent on the palate, with mature, classically styled stony-gravelly fruit. Most impressive is the silky texture, and beautiful balance. What a pleasure to drink. 18/20

Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux) 1982: A very dark tawny colour, with a deep red tinge. A lovely nose, typical of the commune, stony but also floral. Full, firm, and a touch of austerity here. Still quite a bit of tannin. Good fruit as well though. Seems a little angular and disjointed. Not a brilliant showing, but certainly quite drinkable. 16/20

Chateau Desmirail (Margaux) 1982: A moderate depth of colour, a red-tawny hue with a pale rim. Great nose - full of roasted, meaty aromas, and packed full of similar flavours on the palate. Still firm, almost austere in fact, although the meaty fruit and lovely balance make it quite approachable now. 17+/20

Chateau Branaire-Ducru (St Julien) 1982: A good depth of colour. Powerful nose of mature fruit. A full, sweet, powerful palate, still with some spicy tannins. It has balance too. Firmly put together but rounded and approachable. Clean finish. 17/20

Chateau Saint-Pierre (St Julien) 1982: Not quite an opaque wine, but certainly deeply coloured. A surprise on the nose, which offers aromas of coffee and mocha alongside the mature fruit. A metallic edge. Full, tannic, austere palate. Lovely extract and a good texture. A better showing than my last tasting four years ago. 17/20

The following wines were tasted blind in June 2003.

Chateau Clos des Jacobins (St Emilion) 1982: One of the lesser known Cordier properties. A deep, maturing hue. This is sweet and complex on the nose, which is dense and still has plenty of evident fruit despite this wines age. It's also a touch leathery and horsey, perhaps suggesting some Brettanomyces contamination? Sweet liquorice flavours also. On the palate it is fully integrated, absolutely ready, and simply lovely to drink. The finish has elegance and completeness. This is fine drinking. 17/20

Chateau La Dominique (St Emilion) 1982: A reliable property not far from Cheval Blanc, near the border with Pomerol, which consistently over-achieves. Another deep, mature colour. This has a nose of black fruit, together with obvious green vegetal notes very reminiscent (in a much less offensive manner) of the 1985 vintage from this property. This characteristic shows through on the palate also, which is full and creamy, and rich in fruit. It is attractive, balanced, smoothly textured and has some elegance, despite this mild, initial criticism. Some length also. Drinking now. 17/20

Chateau Larmande (St Emilion) 1982: Another over-achieving property, Chateau Larmande regularly and reliably turns out desirable wines. This one also has a deep and mature colour. The nose is slightly sweaty, but with some sweet fruit, and obvious maturity and complexity. It's a touch vegetal, with some blackcurrant leaf, but also (somewhat surprisingly) it has notes of limes, lemons and other citrus fruits. The palate is not intense, but shows good structure, with medium body, a full and creamy texture, and nicely integrated tannins. This wine is delicious, and ready for current drinking. 17/20