Château Lafite Rothschild--Vintage 1982 Level: into neckimpériale (1) "Roughly two dozen notes spread pretty evenly over the years since. One thing is certain, it is not a delicate wallflower. Over the 1980s, the Lafite boquet developed beautifully. At Penning-Rowsell's '10-year' first growth tasting it was still markedly deep, intense; nose spicy, quite powerful, nowhere near levelling off. ...Most recently still impressively deep and comparatively youthful; a well developed, sweet and harmonious bouquet. Mouthfilling, so much on show, so much left to show. Last noted at the Reservere Tasting of '82 Pauillacs. Another effortless 20 years? MB, Vintage Wine Château Latour--Vintage 1982 Level: very top shoulderimpériale (1) "At Penning-Rowsell's '10-year' tasting I described it as 'a mouth and fork wine', so big and chewy. Lovely fruit and fragrance at Kaplan's (1997)--tasted blind I put it down as the Mouton. High mark and hefty, again blind (1998). Starting to shed some of its colour and to mature in appearance and nose: a lovely cedar pencils bouquet; sweet, full of fruit, lots of tannin and still 'chewable' (2000) and, most recently, emitting 'warm', ripe, cedary and redcurrant scents. Suprisingly sweet, very amenable despite its tannic grip. Delicious. Last noted at the La Reserve tasting, April 2001" MB, Vintage Wine Château Haut Brion--Vintage 1982 Level: into neckimpériale (1) "So different in style, so good -- and totally different cépages mix, roughly 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, on the deep Pessac soil. At Penning-Rowsell's '10-year' first growth tastings, I have always insisted on serving the Haut-Brion first as it is so distinctive, as on this occasion. ...At Rodenstock's blind tasting it was unmistakable, now mature, fully evolved bouquet, lovely flavour (1998)...Most recently: a glowing, mature, tile-red; sweet, now very soft, rich, complete. Tannin assimilated. Last noted at the MW Haut-Brion tasting, Jan 2000. Superb." MB, Vintage Wine Château Cheval Blanc--Vintage 1982 Level: into neckimpériale (1) "Later that summer (1997), in Austria, At the very extensive Cheval Blanc tasting, a magnum, the wine by now showing considerable maturity with an orange edge and 'legs' as impressive as the arches of Durham Cathedral; rich, bricky bouquet; well evolved with extract but with a slightly bitter tannic-iron finish. Last noted at Christie's tasting in Tokyo, Nov 1999" MB, Vintage Wine A recent stunning example. Mature yet showing notable signs of complexity. On this night, Cheval Blanc '82 had it's Sunday church dress on and was ready for the minister to take his microphone. A sermon from 1982 was about to be delivered. The texture, as expected, is rich, lucious and beautifully proportioned. As with all great Bordeaux in top vintages it was of colossal size yet effortlessly glided across the pallet with ease and wonderment. I served this to a group of connoisseurs in an 1982 Bordeaux flight consisting of all the great wines from that notable vintage. It was voted best of the night, easily out pacing Latour and Margaux. A memorable bottled donated by a client of Christie's for The Connoisseur's Lecture Series held at the San Diego Museum of Art, March 2006. ST