Other vintages

A wine that's singing today, the 1982 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild is one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed and almost has a California Cabernet-like sexiness and opulence paired with pure Bordeaux class. Still solid ruby-colored with a sensational nose of crème de cassis, lead pencil shaving, sweet tobacco, and even some flowery incense, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a multidimensional, layered texture, straight-up awesome levels of sweet fruit, and a blockbuster finish. This is Bordeaux at its most sexy and hedonistic, and it's just a joy to drink. Given its relatively youthful vibe, I expect it to continue drinking brilliantly for another two decades and even at that point have a gradual decline. There's no need to delay gratification though, and it's certainly ready to go.

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.

The 1982 Mouton Rothschild also comes across as muted and lacking in expression. Time in the glass is of no help. This is a perplexing showing.