1982 Bordeaux: Mouton vs. Margaux

We celebrated Independence Day with lots of special bottles, including these two: 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild and 1982 Château Margaux. This was our second time tasting ‘82 Mouton and our first go at the Margaux. With these older ‘legendary’ bottles like the Mouton, you really have to secure a pristine bottle for it to be lights-out. The Mouton cork looked fully seeped through which didn’t give us much hope. Nevertheless, the wine was amazing after 30 to 40 minutes in decanter, unfolding its layers beautifully. But it didn’t match the silky texture and concentrated red and black fruit aromas we got from opening the same bottle in March. The menthol finish here lasted 30+ seconds though and we loved it.

But the Margaux blew it out of the water.

This '82 was legendary like the Mouton we opened months before. The nose immediately showed loads of bright red cherry, wet pine tree forest herbs, leather, sweet tobacco, and subtle vanilla. We wanted to keep our nose in the glass forever. It still tasted young and pure, the epitome of fine wine. It makes us excited to explore more 1982 Bordeaux. Let us know what we should open next.

Why are collectors obsessed with the ‘immortal’ 1982? Sure, the quality is superb. But there’s history attached to it. The 1982 vintage is famous for sparking the career of Robert ‘Bob’ Parker, the world’s most influential wine critic in history.

In the 80s, Parker called ‘82 iconic in his newsletter The Wine Advocate, but the rest of the critics at the time brushed it off as too ripe and unstructured. When he was proven right over time (the wines aged well), it cemented his reputation and changed the wine world, boosting the influence of American consumers and critics alike.

To prove it, this bottle was purchased by a collector in the 80s who read Bob’s praise. The price sticker remains on the bottle and reaffirms that we were born too late to enjoy these wines when they were affordable.