Tasting 1982 Bordeaux

Wine Blast with Susie and Peter

Some wines or vintages achieve legendary status. The 1982s in Bordeaux are a case in point. So what's it really like to taste a bunch of 1982 clarets, 40 years on - featuring some of the best wines of the vintage?
1982 was a year that famously split opinion - the Brits copping the flak for labelling it too high-yielding, too ripe and 'Californian' in style, saying it would never age. On the opposing side was American wine critic Robert Parker, who championed the vintage and later went on to become one of the most influential wine writers of modern times.
As for how the wines have held up... In this episode, we spill the beans, while also explaining the historical context as well as the nature of the vintage and the individual wines tasted. These include Chateaux:

• Mouton-Rothschild
• Pichon Comtesse
• Léoville Las Cases
• Léoville Poyferré
• Gruaud Larose
• Ducru Beaucaillou

Along the way we discuss the importance of storage, other vintages that can lay claim to being the, 'vintage of the century,' British Railways, current prices for these bottles - and which modern vintages may prove to be as great as 1982 in time.
NB: Wine Blast Live is a video-podcast and you can find the video on our YouTube channel
It's also over on our website, where you can find the full Show Notes for Tasting 1982 Bordeaux podcast on susieandpeter.com

Chapter

1. Starting at the beginning (00:00:17)

2. Background to the region and 1982 vintage (00:00:58)

3. British Railways and Chateau Palmer (00:01:56)

4. The contenders for vintages of the 20th century (00:02:56)

5. Who said 1982 wasn't good and why? (00:03:28)

6. Who said 1982 was good? Spoiler alert: Robert Parker (00:04:11)

7. The wines tasted (00:04:57)

8. The heart-in-mouth moment (00:05:47)

9. Mouton Rothschild 1982 (00:08:14)

10. Leoville Poyferre 1982 (00:09:56)

11. Pichon Lalande 1982 (00:11:08)

12. Leoville Las Cases 1982 (00:13:16)

13. Gruaud Larose 1982 (00:14:47)

14. Ducru Beaucaillou 1982 (00:15:08)

15. Prices - and value (00:15:24)

16. Other recent vintages to compare to 1982 (00:17:26)