Add Latour, which was outstanding and Gruaud Larose, which was a good solid wine with classic GL flavor profile. I still have one Cheval Blanc and some GL, all acquired on release.
This is a critical point. I look at comments about 2002 Bordeaux being an “off vintage” and chuckle. Even 1997 (a little more than 20 years ago) had a purpose. It was a drink now/soon year that produced wines to have with a meal.
I often wonder how 2001 or 2002 (perhaps 2007) would have been viewed in the 1960-1980 time period. I bet it would have been with great happiness, probably joy.
Did broadbent like 82 when it was released? I know he touted it in his book in 2092 but that was after the fact. I thought Parker hyped it but everyone else thought it’d be too ripe and wouldn’t age well.
Add almost every Pomerol and most Graves. Only the Medoc had those searing tannins, which some controlled better than others.
MC,
Roberts’ perspective:
The 1982 and 1990 Bordeaux – 27 and 19 Years After
I decided in December, 2008 to begin a reappraisal of the 1990 Bordeaux, and in March and April, 2009, I followed those tastings up with tastings of the 1982s. All of these wines were purchased as wine futures, and they have been in my cellar since they were released. For example, I took possession of the 1982s in late 1984 and early 1985, and they have been stored at 55 F, with about 70% humidity. The 1990s were put in my cellar in 1993 and 1994 where they have remained until these tastings. I double-decanted the wines (often called the décantation à la Bordelaise) in the morning. That meant pouring the wines in a decanter, washing out the sediment with unchlorinated well water, and then pouring the wine back in the bottle and corking it. This has always proved to be a useful way of getting some oxidation in the wines, but without exaggerating it to the point where the aromatics disintegrate.
My general observations were that overall, 1982 is a far more concentrated vintage than 1990. Most 1990s tend to be more evolved than the 1982s, which continue to age at a glacial pace, particularly in the Médoc. While 1990 is the ripest of the two vintages, both are very ripe by Bordeaux standards, probably because both were unusually hot years. Each vintage had high yields. One thing that struck me is how many great vineyards and châteaux have emerged since 1990, and now produce some of the most prized wines of Bordeaux. The renaissance in the appellations of Margaux and Pessac-Léognan began a decade ago, as did the garagiste movement in St.-Emilion. These three trends have accounted for a dramatic increase in the number of châteaux producing world-class wines compared to 1982 and 1990. The proliferation of high quality wines that has occurred since 1990 (over the last two decades) is remarkable.
Readers should also be aware that I have done other tastings of some of these wines from cellars in Europe, Asia, and stateside. I have seen some 1982s that tasted young from my cellar, but were over the hill elsewhere when not stored properly. The same was true for some flaccid, disjointed, dead 1990s. This demonstrates the major reason consumers must purchase Bordeaux and other wines capable of great longevity and improvement as young as possible, get them in perfect storage, and then rejoice in the benefits that unleash years, if not decades later. The joy of opening an old bottle of Bordeaux, and seeing how pristine the fruit remains as well as how many subtle nuances have developed is truly one of the unbridled delights of wine enthusiasm. Moreover, both vintages have been prized by both serious collectors and more suspect speculators. That has ensured wide trading, many times over, I suspect, of the best wines of these two vintages. While the collectors are probably very conscientious about storage temperatures, I am very wary of the profit-driven speculative community.
Also worth noting is that I believe some recent vintages, such as 1998 for St.-Emilions, Pomerols, and Graves, 2000 overall, 2003 for certain northern Médocs in St.-Julien, Pauillac, and St.-Estèphe, 2005 overall, and 2008, will come close, and in many instances eclipse both 1982 and 1990. This is the way it should be. Investments in the wineries, more meticulous viticultural work, severe selections in both the vineyard and the winery, and impeccable wine making from start to finish, have guaranteed that we have more dramatically superb wines in today’s top vintages than we had in either 1990 or 1982.
I have included the original case price paid for the wines. Both vintages were purchased as “wine futures” in late spring/early summer of the year following the harvest (1983 for the 1982s, 1991 for the 1990s). While I have rarely believed in purchasing wine futures in most Bordeaux vintages, it did make sense to do it in both 1982 and 1990, both generally superb vintages, and priced fairly on initial release prices.
—Robert Parker
Not sure I concur, but interesting nonetheless.
That’s very interesting that he thought 08 might exceed 82/90.
1970 is quite strong, and a couple of years ago, in a strong Bordeaux field, Figeac and Pichon Lalande showed best. 1974 has a few couple of good wines; Trotanoy and La Mission are solid, otherwise not I have not had anything I like. As mentioned in the above post, 1975 is a really strong vintage for Pomerol and a good one for Graves.
1978 has a few good wines, but prefer 1979 which I drink fairly regularly. And my favorites DDC, Giscours and du Tertre are drinking well.
‘70 Cheval Blanc paired with ‘70 Petrus (served blind in about 2003) was and still it the greatest flight of wine I have ever had in my life.
Not to forget the 1970 Palmer, which I think is also one of the finest wines of the vintage.
As to Broadbent, I do think that his slaughter of less ripe or uneven vintages in part stems from his background in the British wine trade, which used to slate what they saw as weaker vintages in order to avoid excess year-on-year price inflation. It was important for the major export market for Bordeaux to pull prices down in these vintages so that producers could still hike up prices by 30% or so in stronger vintages without this having too much of a knock-on effect over time. Once the British wine trade’s dominance in the Bordeaux marked fell apart this led the way to the price inflation we’ve seen since the early 1990s.
posted by Mich@el Ch@ng
Did broadbent like 82 when it was released? I know he touted it in his book in 2092 but that was after the fact. I thought Parker hyped it but everyone else thought it’d be too ripe and wouldn’t age well.
Most of the Brit critics liked the 82’s. It was mainly the American critics who panned it.
Only Robert Finnigan disliked it. Terry Robards thought it was good, but 1981 might be a better value.
Parker championed it from the beginning, but managed to take credit for being the only one.
That is quite a conspiracy theory, Eric. While it is true that most writers in the UK at the time were in the trade, Broadbent as head of Christie’s wine was dealing with older wines. Tasted with him a number of times, and found he had an incredibly fine palate, and was consistent a hallmark of a great taster.
To suggest he consciously or I unconciously had a pro trade agenda is ludicrous.
Had a 75 Haut Brion recently, superb wine. Of course, Haut Brion is particularly known for making great wines in “lesser” vintages.
To further illustrate your point, Tom, doesn’t the 1973 Mouton (a mediocre vintage - I have never tasted the Mouton although years ago I had a couple of others) sell for huge prices because (1) that was the year Mouton became a first growth and (2) the artist was Picasso?
The 1970 Lafite was not that good in 1988.
Also, Pichon Lalande and Leoville las Cases.
I think that there are a number of wines of more recent vintages that will age well from producers like Ducru Beaucaillou, Montrose, Leoville Barton and others. But, well is not the same as forever. With a whole bunch of exceptions, I am not sure a lot of1982 Bordeauxs are as distinctive as they were about 5 years ago. I think a bunch of them should be drunk up, and I am doing so with mine.
You’ll have to show me where 63, 68, 69, or 72 are being valued.
One of the things that convinced me in my 20s to buy 1982 Bordeaux futures was that I bought and read an issue of Decanter where the writer (I cannot remember whether it was Peppercorn or Coates or Edmund Penning-Roswell or who (but I remember it was one of the major ones at the time)) praised the 1982s almost as highly as Parker did (I mean, after all, they are British so that it was much more understated) and liked pretty much the same wines he did.