Bipin's Wine Notes

Bipin's Wine Notes, by Bipin Desai.

THIS ISSUE #4 - Table of Contents
1.	Bordeaux 1982		2.	1982 vs. 1990
	Table I	1982 Blind tasting summary--per cent 1982	3.	Bordeaux 2000
	Table II	Preferences of Journalists and collectors			Tasting Notes Bordeaux 2000
	Table III	Performance of 1982 against each vintage at the tasting	4.	A complete list of tastings previously organized
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A separate (blind) tasting of 1982 vs. 1990 Bordeaux

The format was essentially the same as the one for the 1982 blind tasting I described earlier. The tasting was held at the Sona restaurant in Los Angeles on November 22, 2003. Only what I considered as the top ten chateaux were served for the tasting. There were 22 participants.

It was a tie as far as the group was concerned, while I preferred 1982 overall. The top 1990s, I found, were very attractive, silky and delicious but because of the low acidity most of them have evolved unusually rapidly, many are already at the plateau after only 13 years—the color had developed to the extent that they were indistinguishable from 1982. On the other hand, 1982 just seems to have more “stuffing” and complexity. My notes are given below.

	My preference	comments
AUSONE 82/90	1990	It was close, 1990 seemed to be a bit better balanced.
CHEVAL BLANC 82/90	1982	Both great wines but 1982 seemed closer to pure hedonism !
HAUT BRION 82/90	1982	1982 has all the characteristics of a great Haut Brion, while 1990 seemed a bit tough in comparison
LAFITE 82/90	1990	This was a surprise. Clearly the 1990 is coming around beautifully and overtaking the excellent 1982. Lafite may turn out to be one of the big stars of 1990 vintage.
LAFLEUR 82/90	1982	A fantasic 1982. Also an overwhelming favorite of the group (18 vs. 4)
LATOUR 82/90	1982	The 1982 is profound, beautifully balanced, a great Latour. The 1990 is much more open and approachable and lacks the weight of 1982.
LE PIN 82/90	1990	It was close. The 1990 just seemed more attractive and better balanced, the 1982 showing some age
MARGAUX 82/90	tie	Both exceptional wines. The 1982 seemed to have a lot of stuffing, though 1990 is very elegant and beautifully balanced.
MOUTON ROTHSCHILD 82/90	1982	There was no comparison. The 1982 is a spectacular wine.
PETRUS 82/90	1982	1990 did not show the intensity of fruit that 1982 had. Though my scores were relatively close, the 1982 was an overwhelming favorite of the group (19 vs. 3)