Wine Advisor
Chateau Margaux 1982
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1982 is Chateau Margaux at its most opulent and decadent. The opaque purple/garnet color is followed by a bouquet that soars from the glass, offering scents of roasted blackcurrants, herbs (thyme), licorice, and spring flowers. Magnificently concentrated and expansive on the palate, this voluptuously styled, huge, lavishly rich, overwhelming style of Chateau Margaux is almost too much of a good thing. Its low acidity and huge tannins in the finish make it approachable, so I would not quibble with anyone who wants to drink it. But do not forget that this wine should have at least 25-35 years of evolution. If indeed it turns out to be a clone of this estate's legendary 1900, it may have 3-4 times the longevity I have suggested. Last tasted, 7/93.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Of all the 1982 first-growths, Chateau Margaux has been the most variable from bottle to bottle. At the Philadelphia tasting, the bottle was maderized, the only truly bad bottle in the impeccable collection assembled by local wine connoisseur Randy Feinberg. From my cellar, the 1982 Margaux exhibits a dark, murky ruby/purple color with a touch of lightening at the edge. Earthy, truffle, black fruit, underbrush, cedar, and spice aromas are followed by a ripe, full-bodied, chunky wine. This fleshy, powerful effort is somewhat disjointed and rustic at present. Interestingly, I have had bottles that merited nearly perfect scores, and others that were typical of this tasting. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has a very similar nose to the previous bottle of Margaux ’82 with perhaps a more Burgundian personality than I have noticed before. Touches of roasted chestnut, smoke and savoury fruits although it still lacks quite the breeding of the ’83 (although it is splitting hairs.) The palate is medium-bodied, superb structure and definition; smooth and seductive. Very elegant and refined, with touches of iodine and black olive on the almost Graves-like finish. Superb length and lingers almost as long as the ’96, although I think that will ultimately turn out to be the better wine. Still, just a lovely Margaux to cherish now and over the next 10-12 years. Drink now-2020. Tasted July 2008.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Roberson’s 1982 tasting. Consistent notes as last time. That sensuous floral nose, pure black fruit, minerals, a touch of graphite and cherries. The palate beautifully balanced with vibrant acidity, very harmonious, a little tertiary towards the finish that shows stupendous weight and linearity at first, fanning outside towards the finish with smoke, fig, citrus peel, a touch of thyme and briary. Wonderful. Tasted March 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind in Bordeaux. This remains a magical Chateau Margaux, with wonderful definition on the nose: black fruits, cedar, a touch of smoke, more mineralite in this particular bottle. The palate has an ethereal symmetry and sense of precision, very pure, very -Margaux- with hints of iodine on the cedar-infused finish. Swelling with power with each pour of the glass, this is a multi-dimensional wine. Drink now-2025. Tasted November 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served from magnum. This has a very intense, slightly minty nose with touches of rusty nails, savoury fruits, kirsch, chestnuts and smoke. Complex with good delineation. The palate is much better than the nose. Ripe precocious red-berried fruits laced with iodine, very good acidity, vibrant, bright and animated on the finish. A burlesque wine, showing more age than the -83 although this bottle did not have the depth or breeding I have found on previous occasions. Drink now-2020+ Tasted March 2008.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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. Release price: ($360.00/case)
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1982 Chateau Margaux is a wine that I have tasted many times, constantly contrasted against the 1983 to see which is better. Frankly I found that it depends on the bottle, although maybe the 1983 edges it. But it is important to assess the 1982 on its own individual merits because it is a superb First Growth. This was a great bottle: fragrant and beautifully defined on the nose that on this occasion offered a more conspicuous graphite scent, which lent it a Pauillac-like personality. Allowing the wine to open and aerate, the traits one associates with the property emerge—wilted violets and rose petals. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and mineral-laden, that suggestion of candied orange peel on the entry segueing into layers of pure red and black fruit. There is always something effortless about this Chateau Margaux and the pixelation on the finish is up there with the very best. Is it the best 1982 First Growth? No, it's not quite up there with 1982 Latour or Mouton-Rothschild, however, it is a sublime evocation of the vineyard and it will continue to give pleasure for a couple of decades yet. Tasted May 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is an atypically powerful, thick, ruggedly constructed Margaux that has been downgraded slightly because of a certain coarseness I have detected in the tannin as the wine has evolved. Nevertheless, I would be thrilled to drink this wine - anytime, any place. It may just be that the wine's tannin and structure are more noticeable than in the past. The opaque purple/garnet color is followed by an intense, sweet nose of truffles, cassis, smoke, flowers, and toasty oak. Full-bodied, with impressive levels of glycerin, extract, and tannin, this large-scaled, robust Margaux may not possess the sheer class and breed of such other great Margaux vintages as 1983, 1986, and 1990, but it offers a huge, massive mouthful of thick, succulent wine. The elevated tannin in the finish suggests the wine should be cellared for another 5-7 years, but the thick, juicy chewiness so common in the top 1982s is hard to resist. Tasted 20 times since bottling with consistent notes.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted three times. Simply stunning when drunk over dinner in Bordeaux, mercurial and constantly evolving in the glass, gaining concentration from the ether yet maintaining immaculate poise. Last imbibed in October 2006 where was still relatively backward compared to other Margaux 1982's. An intense nose of iodine, violets and minerals. Beautifully poised, stunning focus with the oak completely enmeshed within the structure of the wine. On this showing: needs another 10 years. I still think the Margaux 1983 has the edge!
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The first of three First Growth 1982’s served by Robert Parker. This has an ebullient nose of blueberry, cassis and violets in bloom. Superb definition and vigor. The palate is full-bodied, fleshier than either Latour or Mouton 1982 with good acidity and harmony. Black cherries, black olives and iodine vying for attention of the long, sensuous finish. A lovely wine Margaux drinking perfectly now, though it will last another 20-30 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Tasted 20 Times Since Bottling With Consistent Notes The 1982 is Chateau Margaux at its most opulent and decadent. The opaque purple/garnet color is followed by a bouquet that soars from the glass, offering scents of roasted blackcurrants, herbs (thyme), licorice, and spring flowers. Magnificently concentrated and expansive on the palate, this voluptuously styled, huge, lavishly rich, overwhelming style of Chateau Margaux is almost too much of a good thing. Its low acidity and huge tannins in the finish make it approachable, so I would not quibble with anyone who wants to drink it. But do not forget that this wine should have at least 25-35 years of evolution. If indeed it turns out to be a clone of this estate's legendary 1900, it may have 3-4 times the longevity I have suggested.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 1982 Château Margaux is drinking beautifully today, bursting from the glass with aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries, burning embers, loamy soil, dried flowers and subtle hints of cedar. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and complete, it's deep and concentrated, with terrific concentration, beautifully refined tannins and an elegant, harmonious profile. Of all the 1982 first growths, Château Margaux is arguably the least defined by the vintage and the most marked by site and style.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
At one time I thought the 1983 was the more classic and better effort from Chateau Margaux, but I am human, and 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 Chateau Margaux with high levels of tannin, huge extract, and richness. Increasingly civilized, with the tannin becoming seamlessly integrated, this opaque purple/garnet-colored 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 tannin, this is probably the largest-scaled, most concentrated Chateau Margaux under the Mentzelopoulos administration. It is doubtful it will ever rival the 1990.996, or 2000 for pure finesse or elegance, and in spite of its high levels of tannin, does not seem to have the classicism of these vintages, but this wine goes from strength to strength and is quickly becoming one of the all-time compelling efforts of Chateau Margaux. Anticipated maturity: Now-2035. Last tasted, 12/02.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1982 dinner at The Square, the Margaux lagged behind the other First Growth to be truthful, although that is probably being unfair to what is still a very attractive wine. The nose is more muted compared to the Haut Brion, “grumpy” as someone commented. However, the palate shows much better with a silky smooth texture, ripe succulent tannins and crisp dark cherry and blackberry fruit towards the Pauillac-like finish, hints of graphite lingering on the aftertaste. It just misses the expression and the exuberance of the other First Growths. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Pebbles/Zachy’s 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. The Chateau Margaux 1982 is perhaps a little variable from bottle to bottle these days, occasionally cowed by the First Growths and at other times challenging the supremacy of the more consistent 1983. Still, this is a very fine Margaux. It has a fragrant, complex bouquet with wild strawberry, a touch of violets, hints of truffle and pot pourri. The palate has a sweet supple entry with candied orange peel infusing the pretty red fruit. It is very svelte in texture with fine, lace-like tannins – almost a vitamin-like purity here with a sublime mineral-rich finish. Tasted November 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is an atypically powerful, thick, ruggedly constructed Margaux that has been downgraded slightly because of a certain coarseness I have detected in the tannin as the wine has evolved. Nevertheless, I would be thrilled to drink this wine - anytime, any place. It may just be that the wine's tannin and structure are more noticeable than in the past. The opaque purple/garnet color is followed by an intense, sweet nose of truffles, cassis, smoke, flowers, and toasty oak. The wine is full-bodied, with impressive levels of glycerin, extract, and tannin. This large-scaled, robust Margaux may not possess the sheer class and breed of such other great Margaux vintages as 1983, 1986, and 1990, but it offers a huge, massive mouthful of thick, succulent wine. The elevated tannin in the finish suggests the wine should be cellared for another 5-7 years, but the thick, juicy chewiness so common in the top 1982s is hard to resist. Last tasted 9/95
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A wonderful wine. Very deep in colour with notes of blackberry, smoke, cedar, sandalwood and here, just a hint of balsam. Very good definition and obvious breeding. The palate is medium-bodied with a beautiful structure, very sensuous with filigree tannins. Notes of blackberry, dark cherry, cedar and a hint of iodine. Left in the glass, it just soars into the stratosphere. Magnificent. Drink now-2020. Tasted February 2009.
About the Producer
Chateau Margaux is located in the village of Margaux, in the Medoc appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux, and was awarded a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Medoc classification, alongside Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Château Haut-Brion. It is also known as Chateau Haut-Brion. Château Margaux currently covers a total of 262 hectares, including 99 hectares of vineyards. The red vineyard has an appellation of 87 hectares, of which 82 hectares are planted, while the white vineyard is planted with 12 hectares. The red varieties are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc; the white varieties are Sauvignon Blanc and the vines are on average 45 years old. Since the end of the 1990s, the estate has refused to use pesticides in the vineyards. In addition, only organic fertilisers are used in the vineyard, and deep fertilisation is carried out at regular intervals to improve the soil structure and rejuvenate the soil. During the harvest season, the winery team selects the right time to harvest the grapes by testing and analysing all the indicators and by tasting the grapes themselves. Once the grapes have reached their ideal state of ripeness, they are harvested by a team of over 200 trained harvesters. Once in the winery, the grapes undergo a rigorous selection process before being de-stemmed. Both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks are used to ferment the red grapes, while the white grapes are fermented entirely in oak barrels. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. The red wines are then left to mature in oak barrels for 18-24 months and the whites for 6-8 months. The main wine of the estate, Château Margaux's red wine, is rich and complex, with an elegant and powerful ballet on the tongue, rich and smooth tannins, good balance and a long, fresh finish with excellent ageing potential. It successfully conquered Napoleon Bonaparte, the founder of the First French Empire, and won the hearts of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of the United States, and Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of England. In the world of wine criticism, Château Margaux's red wines have also been recognised, with four perfect scores from Robert Parker and many more from other critics with 95 points or more. In recent years, the quality of Château Margaux's red wines has been steady and has maintained a high level of interest in the market.
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