Graileys Fine Wines Blog

My tongue has tasted a glimpse of Bordeaux euphoria… Last Friday, some of our best wine collectors and true Bordeaux devotees held their own Bordeaux blind tasting here at Graileys with the theme: 1982. BOOM!!! I was lucky enough to be in on this tasting of Bordeaux’s holy grail…  Keep in mind, each bottle were singular stunners, but when you have a flight of the A Team up against each other there has to be a winner and blinding them is the only way…

These are my impressions at the end of the tasting. Starting with the least awarded points… Once again, I refuse to call any of these bottles losers as they were all outrageously glorious.

1983 Ausone – My favorite of the lineup and I think my colleagues thoroughly enjoyed this Ausone as well.  The aromatics were the lightest from the lineup but still rich with campfire, boysenberry, forest floor, and white pepper. The palate was pure beauty with lively, luscious mouth feel loaded with deep flavors or dried red fruit, basil, eucalyptus and earth. To put the cherry on top of this exquisite Bordeaux, the finish was loaded with minerals and herbs and just kept on going with all the fine flavors of old Bordeaux. Perhaps the elegance of the wine was overcome by the power of the others, but to me, this was a true definition of all things sexy in old Bordeaux.

1982 Margaux- Bright red raspberry on the nose with hay, violets, rose and crushed granite. The tannins were still holding on but with softer shoulders. From age, the freshness of fruit has dwindled and its dark earthy notes shone through with complex flavors of dried clay, mushrooms and wild flowers. The finish appeared to be not as lengthy, but after a second breath, dried leaves, leather and earth swooshed back for final haunt.

1982 Gruaud Larose- This wine came in 2^nd place for a great reason. The nose was nearly identical to the winning wine and from past Gruaud showings, my colleagues and our Bordeaux disciples have always noticed its consistent mimicking ways to Graileys most beloved Super Second. This is the second time I have had this wine and it was as impressive as my first tasting of ’82 Gruaud. Powerful, meaty, smoky and dark with black pepper, charcoal and dense herbs. This wine definitely had the most spice as AJ noted spicebox and mesquite, but I picked up more dried black tea, dried lilacs and bark within the beautifully preserved black currants. Needless to say, this is one complex beast. On the nose, it was very reminiscent of Pichon Lalande… a very interesting thought indeed, but nothing can steer our group’s professional Bordeaux palates…

1982 Pichon Lalande – In the words of the Fox’s: “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”. This wine showed the most power, with the most dense flavors in the lineup. The longevity of the ’82 Pichon Lalande is insane! The fruit was still showing beautifully with dense blackberry, black cherry and currant. Leather, mossy earth, wild herbs and charred bell peppers were seamless in the mid-palate while dried red flowers and sweet fruit gave the wine a persistent lift. This unicorn Bordeaux is breathtaking to the core.

Not from the tasting, but must be noted: 1970 Cheval Blanc. Double BOOM!!  Still very much alive and aromatic and the palate was the perfect play of dried ripe fruit and insane elements of earth, herbs and spice. The evolution is just beautiful. The fruit was still present with shriveled strawberries, raspberry and red currants. The herbs and earth were alive with rich soil and everything that comes along with it: truffles, dried herbs, old leather, dense spice and dried but rich tobacco. The texture was silky to the tee and the finish was lengthy and almost as full and rich as the mid. The wine was beautifully balanced, pure elegance in a glass.  I wish I could have experienced these rare beauties in their youth to appreciate the full experience of its evolution but I am one lucky sommelier to get a chance to experience them now after 30 most awaiting years. My office might not be in a high-rise and it definitely has no windows, but wow; this is a dream office to walk into everyday.