Mouton Rothschild 1982

The 1982 Mouton Rothschild is drinking brilliantly today, soaring from the glass with aromas of cassis, dark berry fruit, charcoal, pencil shavings, espresso roast and loamy soil. Full-bodied, ample and enveloping, it's a layered, sumptuous wine that's remarkably seamless and complete, with impressive concentration, ripe but lively acids and fine, melting tannins. Long and resonant, this is a great wine that can keep company with the likes of Mouton's 1961, 1959 and 1955.

This wine remains one of the legends of Bordeaux. It has thrown off the backward, youthful style that existed during its first 25 years of life, and over the last 4-5 years has developed such secondary nuances as cedar and spice box. The creme de cassis, underlying floral note, full-bodied power, extraordinary purity, multilayered texture, and finish of over a minute are a showcase for what this Chateau accomplished in 1982. The wine is still amazingly youthful, vibrant, and pure. It appears capable of remaining fruity and vibrant in 2082! Thank God it is beginning to budge, as I would like to drink most of my supply before I kick the bucket. This is a great, still youthful wine, and, on occasion, one does understand the hierarchy of Bordeaux chateaux when you see the complexity and brilliance of this first-growth. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+

Opaque purple-colored showing absolutely no signs of lightening, Mouton's 1982 is a backward wine. Still tasting like a 4-5 year old Bordeaux, it will evolve for another half century.

At the Philadelphia tasting, it was impossibly impenetrable and closed, although phenomenally dense and muscular. However, on two other recent occasions, I decanted the wine in the morning and consumed it that evening and again the following evening. It is immune to oxidation! Moreover, it has a level of concentration that represents the essence of the Mouton terroir as well as the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon it contains.

Cassis, cedar, spice box, minerals, and vanillin are all present, but this opaque black/purple Pauillac has yet to reveal secondary nuances given its youthfulness. It exhibits huge tannin, unreal levels of glycerin and concentration, and spectacular sweetness and opulence. Nevertheless, it demands another decade of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for another seven or eight decades.

I have always felt the 1982 Mouton was perfect, yet this immortal effort might be capable of lasting for 100 years! Readers who want to drink it are advised to decant it for at least 12-24 hours prior to consumption. I suggest double decanting, i.e., pouring it into a clean decanter, washing out the bottle, and then repouring it back into the bottle, inserting the cork, leaving the air space to serve as breathing space until the wine is consumed 12-24 hours later. The improvement is striking. The fact that it resists oxidation is a testament to just how youthful it remains, and how long it will last. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2075.

The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild is one that I have not met for quite a while, but it was a pleasure to be reacquainted. Whilst it can sometimes be a little too exuberant, I found this bottle beautifully refined with melted red fruit, red plum and wild strawberry, tobacco and freshly picked mint. Hints of black truffle emerge with time. The palate has mellowed in recent years, arguably borrowed some of Lafite’s refinement. Pliant in texture, there is more transparency to this Mouton and whilst it perhaps does not quite have the nobility of the 1982 Latour, it is just a sublime First Growth that gives immense satisfaction. Tasted at the Amos Bursary charity dinner at 67 Pall Mall.

The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild continues to be the extravagant Pauillac that it has always been. This has an irresistible, exotic bouquet of precocious kirsch, hoisin, graphite and blueberry scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is a little headier than previous bottles, sensual and almost glossy, presenting a glycerin-rich smorgasbord of dark cherries, black currant, crème de menthe and mint that almost knocks you off your feet. Fabulous. Tasted from an ex-château jeroboam at the Palace of Versailles charity dinner. Drink 2019-2040.

The 1982 Mouton Rothschild put in a very creditable performance since over the years I have found this more variable than other First Growths, albeit one that can flirt with perfection when inclined. This is an extremely good and I feel, representative bottle. It is less flamboyant, more controlled, less ostentatious than some examples, revealing very perfumed blackberry, Hoi Sin, graphite and cassis notes, over the course of 30-40 minutes intriguingly developing Graves-like tendencies. I always love the way in which the ’82 Mouton just blossoms from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and whilst more voluptuous than nearly all 1982s, it has perfect acidity to keep everything in check and those who appreciate a little viscosity will find themselves under its spell. Hints of crème de menthe develop on the luxuriant finish. The ’82 Mouton is a little garish, a nobleman-cum-bon viveur inappropriately attired in a loud Hawaiian shirt who compensates what they lack in subtlety with unalloyed chutzpah. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons. 2018 - 2050