Fine Wine: Bordeaux 1982 Horizontal

Join us as we taste the vintage that put Bordeaux back on the map for fine wine – 1982. This monumental year is heralded as one of the great vintages in Bordeaux with a broad sweep of high quality across the growths as well as cru bourgeois.

"This was the year that relaunched Bordeaux... the top wines are still going strong, with several delicious now" (James Lawther MW 'The Finest Wines of Bordeaux, 2010)

Wines on Tasting (9):

• Cos d’Estournel, Saint-Estephe (2nd Growth) £320
• Ducru Beaucaillou, Saint-Julien (2nd Growth) £265
• Leoville-Barton, Saint-Julien (2nd Growth) £150
• Leoville-Poyferre, Saint-Julien (2nd Growth) £220
• Brane Cantenac, Margaux (2nd Growth) £100
• Grand Puy Lacoste, Saint-Julien (5th Growth) £180
• Lynch Bages, Pauillac (5th Growth) £240
• Pontet-Canet, Pauillac (5th Growth) £110
• Chasse-Spleen, Moulis (Cru Bourgeois) £70

Jancis Robinson on Cos d'Estournel 1982: 18.5/20 "Pretty dark ruby. Very heady perfumed and complex on the nose. Some graphite. But very lifted too. Something a little Lafite-like. Lovely mellow perfectly mature gentle stuff. Very fine boned and complete. Classic claret. Lovely finish. Not a hint of tannin, nothing out of place. Dry but not drying finish. Unusually 'feminine' for a Cos. For me the wine that was the most delightful of all to drink now. (Nov 2010)

On Ducru Beaucaillou 1982: 17 "Still quite firm, relatively youthful crimson. Still quite youthful on the nose too. Rather crude and too much like hard work to taste without food. Not the sweet richness of 1982 – very chewy still as though it will never quite soften and charm the drinker – although I’m sure that served in isolation with food it would be transformed" (Aug 2007)

On Leoville-Barton 1982: 17 "Good aromatic, mineral Cabernet nose. Quite lean and dry on the palate. Opened out. Looking mature on the rim" (Sept 2008)

On Leoville-Poyferre 1982: 18.5 "Restrained on the nose, then becoming more exotic. Ripeness and freshness embrace. Utterly smooth and still going strong. Surprisingly dense but also has charm and elegance. Wonderful." (May 2009)

On Grand Puy Lacoste 1982: 18.5 "Big and bold and thick. Dense and lively. Very rich with some liquorice notes. More lift than the 1990. Sweet and gorgeous. Haunting and long yet still very refreshing. No variation between two magnums opened several hours apart with the one given several hours in a decanter definitely superior. Lovely and lively – absolute vindication of the lack of correlation between yield and quality" (April 2010)

On Lynch-Bages 1982: 18 "Soft garnet. Gently perfumed, even a touch of vanilla-sweet freshness. Gorgeous scent and the merest hint of development as it opens up. Elegant and juicy on the palate. Silky, dry tannins and scented with red fruit and a touch of cedar on the mid palate and a gentle dry grip on the finish. Very fine and self-contained but not hidden. Lovely balance" (April 2010)