1982 - Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac

Over the last couple of years, I had inclined to the view that the 1986 vintage was eclipsing the 1982 Mouton Rothschild, but two perfectly conserved bottles this year put paid to that hypothesis. One of the emblematic wines of the vintage, offering up aromas of sweet crème de cassis, cigar wrapper, espresso roast, spices and vine smoke, it's full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a rich core of fruit; ripe, supple tannins; and a long, expansive finish. Lavish, even flamboyant, and at the same time seriously structured and quintessentially Mouton, it encapsulates the greatness of the vintage. For readers interested in numbers, the 1982 attained 12.3% alcohol with a pH of 3.64 (that information is the result of a great personal misfortune, because I sent a sample from a tragically corked magnum to the local enology lab for analysis out of curiosity).

Every now and then, you chance upon a 1982 Mouton-Rothschild that blows you away. This is one such example. It has a wonderful, outgoing, precocious bouquet, with blackberry, cedar and a sprig of wild mint that is so exuberant it enraptures the olfactory senses. The palate is fuller and denser than the '82 Pichon-Lalande, with wonderful poise and layers of graphite-tinged black fruit mixed with light aniseed notes. It is unapologetically extravagant and yet it is all delivered with a kind of carefree joie de vivre. Stupendous. Tasted single blind at the 1982 dinner at Cornus in London.

Parker's first ever 100 point wine (along with Petrus 1982), this at first seemed to be softer through the mid palate than the other First Growths in the lineup, but once it opened up, the autumnal blackberry and bilberry fruits came tumbling into place, as did charred sandalwood, cigar box, campfire smoke, and waves of crushed rose petal aromatics. Showing full tertiary welcome, with melted tannins, and the gently finessed pleasures of fully mature Pauillac. I wouldn't count out the ability of this vintage to remain at this point for another few decades. The Mouton label in 1982 was painted by artist and film director John Huston to celebrate Baron Philippe de Rothschild's 60th harvest at the Pauillac First Growth (and the 10th vintage since its promotion to First Growth status). Harvest September 15-24, 100% new oak.

Really knockout – not over the top and overblown but there is just so much packed in here and it has such a dramatic, nay exotic, impact! Deep-flavoured, smoky-rich, wonderfully opulent and spicy. After more than an hour the fruit started to fade just a little but this is really stupendous. (JR)