Consideredone of the region’s greatest-ever vintages, 1982 produced a plentiful crop and a raft of ripe, generous and rich wines that ushered in a new style of ‘rockstar opulence’ for Bordeaux. It effectively launched the career of the now-famous (and retired) critic Robert M Parker Jr, who opposed leading US wine writers at the time by exuberantly praising the vintage. And it was a vintage that re-energised the Bordeaux en primeur market following a decade of economic gloom, bringing much-needed investment into the vineyards.
Given the semi-mythical status of the 1982s, a large-scale tasting is almost unheard of, certainly at anything more than 10 wines, and rarer still when they include all five of the first growths. So, when the chance arose to taste 45 of them, side by side, it was an opportunity no wine lover, much less a Bordeaux correspondent, could miss.
It was, undeniably, a dream tasting, for both myself and the 22 attendees who had each paid to join the event, held as a fundraiser for cancer research. All mature wines capture a moment in history, a snapshot of the past, where nature and winemaking expertise converge, but 1982 did it in style. I doubt this tasting will ever be recreated and I feel so fortunate to have been part of it.
THE BACKDROP
Until the 1980s only two Bordeaux vintages then had, and still maintain, exceptional renown; 1945 and 1961. Certainly, a vintage hadn’t been as consistent in terms of quality across the region until 1982 arrived. It was considered at the time a modern benchmark for the plush, fruit-forward wines; and today, a key milestone in shifting the perceptions of Bordeaux’s quality hierarchy by elevating previously lesser-known estates to prominence. It married favourable weather conditions which resulted in ripe fruit with modern winemaking practices, giving structured tannins in the wines and overall exceptional ageing potential. Of course, the viticultural endeavours and cellar technology were not the same as they are today, with less fruit selection then (estates produced far fewer second wines), and green harvesting – cutting away excess ripening bunches in order to control the vines’ yields – yet to be brought in. But on the back of a disappointing decade of largely weak and astringent wines in the 1970s, the 1982 vintage was quickly ushered into the hall of fame.
