Over the last couple of years, I had inclined to the view that the 1986 vintage was eclipsing the 1982 Mouton Rothschild, but two perfectly conserved bottles this year put paid to that hypothesis. One of the emblematic wines of the vintage, offering up aromas of sweet crème de cassis, cigar wrapper, espresso roast, spices and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a rich core of fruit; ripe, supple tannins; and a long, expansive finish. Lavish, even flamboyant, and at the same time seriously structured and quintessentially Mouton, it encapsulates the greatness of the vintage. For readers interested in numbers, the 1982 attained 12.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.64 (that information is the result of a great personal misfortune, because I sent a sample from a tragically corked magnum to the local enology lab for analysis out of curiosity).
What an amazing red. It's so very youthful with toasted oak, light vanilla, and dark berries such as currants and blueberries. Then it turns to mint. This is so fresh and intensely fruity. It lasts for minutes on your palate with each sip. It is so powerful yet elegant. It will improve for hundreds of years. I would still leave it in my cellar for five or ten years. If you need to drink it, decant it three to four hours in advance.
In contrast to the powerful, focused, structured 1986, the 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild is more broad, sexy, and seamless, with that rare mix of intensity, richness, and elegance, with a weightless style that's so compelling. Red and black fruits, smoked tobacco, leather, dried flowers, and chocolate all define the aromatics, and it's utterly flawless on the palate, with no hard edges, perfect balance, and an incredible finish. Just a riveting, deep, incredibly compelling bottle of wine (this was tasted from magnum), it does not get any better.
Glorious aromas. Dark ruby red. Wonderful perfumes of flowers, berry and lilac. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long and pretty finish. Balanced. Class in a glass. Just as I remember.--Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.
TWI
98pts
The Wine Independent
The pièce de resistance on this occasion, the 1982 hails from a remarkable vintage, not only because of the sheer quality of the wines of 1982, but also because this was Baron Philippe de Rothschild's 60th harvest on the estate. It has the famous dancing ram label, a work by film director John Huston. The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Merlot. A great colour in the glass here, a little dusty and light around the rim, but beautifully mature. And the nose only serves to reinforce this message, as it is fabulously evolved and tertiary, with leather tobacco pouch, green peppercorn and crushed oyster shell. This precedes a finely poised palate rich in dark fruit, even at well over 40 years of age, with layers of liquorice, black truffle, currant and juniper, over a sinewy and sandy texture. Bright, textured and acid fresh, this feels so very complete, with floral complexities dancing alongside the core of fruit. A superb result, great now, but there is longevity here too. Poured from magnum.
The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild, well, what is there left to say? A lot, actually, because this wine is prone to variance between bottles. This one, bought a decade ago, was a fine example that suggests it is reaching full maturity. There's plenty of dashing and glossy black fruit on the nose, with cedar, a touch of brown spices, graphite and sage. It's decadent but more evolved than others. The palate is immense with body and girth, layers of slightly savory black fruit that is almost viscous in texture, quintessential Claret yet with just a suggestion of Mediterranean flair. Based on this bottle, I would be popping corks now, but as l mentioned, the next could be more youthful and primal.