Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1982

We will end this mini-series on trophy wines with a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1982, the first RP100 wine I bought and the third I tasted. At that time I had neither bought, owned nor tasted a first growth claret and it seemed a good occasion to start. I must confess that I cannot remember if I knew that it was awarded 100 points by Parker. This bottle had been sent back to the Chateau for re-corking as a label on the back recounts. This particular bottle was drunk at the most expensive PWC dinner I organized, back in 2007.

How was it? Did it live up to expectations? The colour was a good ruby with hints of brick red at the rim. The nose was sweet with layers of fruit interacting in a complex manner, but ending with a sour plum like acidity. It was the same sweet complex fruitiness on the palate, with notes or white pepper coming through, followed by that same sour plum mouthwatering acidity which extended into a long delicate finish. But that was not all. After the glass was emptied, there came meaty notes from the little wine remaining in the glass, notes suggestive of chargrilled chops or steaks. As for the tiny amount left in the decanter, there wafted some flowery notes, variously described as peony and narcissus by those present. Exquisite!