Le Bon Pasteur 1982

The few critics that Michel Rolland still has need to taste this wine to understand a wine that was fabulous to drink young, yet at age 27 continues to perform incredibly well. A classic Pomerol, it boasts a dark garnet color with only slight lightening at the edge as well as sensational aromas of creme brulee, chocolate-covered black cherries and currants, figs, and plums, full-bodied, powerful, rich flavors, and tremendous purity, opulence, and length. I thought this 1982 would be in its grave a decade ago, but it continues to show just what great balance and length can mean in Bordeaux. It should drink well for another 10 years.

This wine continues to amaze me with its vibrancy and freshness. The color is a dark garnet with some amber creeping in at the edge. The nose is simply spectacular, an ice-cream fountain smorgasbord of roasted nuts, chocolate, mocha, toffee, and sweet black cherries, plums, and currants imtermixed with spice box and cedar. It is very full-bodied, expansive, opulent, and lush, yet light on its feet. This wine is a spectacular confirmation of the winemaking philosophy of Michel Rolland and his wife Dany. Out of magnum and larger formats I am sure this wine can go on for another 15 or more years, but I still would not tempt fate. I am assuming that every time I have had it, it has been from pristinely stored bottles Anticipated maturity: now - 2010. Last tasted, 10/02.

At the Philadelphia tasting, this wine revealed abundant quantities of mocha, coffee, and cherry fruit in a lush, medium-bodied format, but it seemed slightly diffuse, lacking freshness as well as definition in the finish. In essence, that tasting suggested the wine was losing its fruit and beginning its decline. Hence the rating of 87, signifying a fully mature, very good to excellent wine. A magnum tasted from my cellar was still in superb condition, but perhaps not as compelling as it was 2-3 years ago. A dense garnet colour was accompanied by a stunning, smoky, crème caramel, plum, blackcherry and roasted coffee-scented bouquet, thick succulent, opulently-textured flavours, low acidity, and a fully mature, concentrated finish that lingered for nearly 40 seconds. This fully mature 1982 requires consumption over the next several years.

I have gone through several cases of this wine in half bottles, regular bottles, and a handful of magnums. Except for one musty smelling half bottle, the wine has been thrilling from the day of its release in 1984. It is a classic Pomerol. In 1982, the renowned husband/wife proprietor/oenologist team of Dany and Michel Rolland raised Bon Pasteur's level of quality well above its terroir, and in doing so caused one American wine critic to focus more closely on their work. The 1982 has always been thick and rich, with the creamy texture and splendid opulence that are hallmarks of this vintage. The wine has taken on some amber at the edge, but it reveals no signs of color or fruit degradation. The huge nose of toffee, caramel, sweet black fruit, spice, and cedar is a knock-out. Rich, full-bodied, and silky smooth, this exceptionally concentrated, large-scaled Bon Pasteur begs for consumption over the next 10+ years . It is one of those rare Bordeaux that has never gone through a "dumb" stage. Last tasted, 4/98.