Chateau Margaux 1982

Consistently scoring between 98-100, the superb 1982 Margaux may be slightly bigger, bolder, and more masculine than vintages produced over the last 15-20 years. Its dark plum/purple color is followed by notes of melted tar intermixed with sweet cassis and floral underpinnings. Very full-bodied and dense for a Chateau Margaux, with a slight rusticity to the tannins, it boasts blockbuster power, richness, and impressive aromatics. It appears set for another 30-40 years of life.

At one I thought the 1983 was the more classic and better effort from Château Margaux, but I am human; The 1982 has overtaken the 1983 and is obviously the superior effort. It started off life as a somewhat ruggedly constructed, powerful, masculine, even coarse style of Château Margaux with high levels of tannin, huge extract, and richness. Increasingly civilised, with the tannin become seamlessly integrated, this opaque purple/garnet-coloured wine offers up hints of incense, sweet truffles, smoke, black currants, flowers, and damp earth. Very full-bodied, with remarkable levels of glycerin, extract, and tannins, this is probably the largest scaled, most concentrated Château Margaux under the Mentzelopoulos administration. It is doubtful it will ever rival the 2000, 1996 or 1990 for pure finesse or elegance. In spite of its high levels of tannin, it does not seem to have the classicism of the vintages, but this wine goes from strength to strength and is quickly becoming one of the all-time compelling efforts of Château Margaux. Anticipated maturity: now-2025.