1982 Château Mouton Rothschild Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
100 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (June 2009)
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+
98 Ian D'Agata, Vinous (August 2011)
Deep ruby-red with a hint of amber at the rim. Cassis, licorice, minerals, tobacco and cocoa on the complex nose; this has started to develop more tertiary aromas and is less fruit-forward than just a few years ago. The palate shows considerable sweetness and an almost opulent mouth feel, with blackcurrant and blackberry flavors given lift and clarity by harmonious acidity and complicated by graphite, tobacco and underbrush notes. The extremely long finish features a cool minty note and sweet, ripe tannins, but I also found a hint of astringency at the back that I had not tasted in previous bottles of this wine. A blockbuster wine, and still remarkably young: I can see this improving and lasting for another 40 years. This is a truly monumental wine and the best first growth of 1982, but I found this particular bottle to be a bit less explosive and rich than some other examples I have tried over the years.