The 1982 La Lagune is a wine that I last tasted at the vertical with Caroline Frey. Four years later, it has a tertiary nose, a little rustic for my liking, with raspberry pastilles and a touch of aniseed that I never picked up on the previous bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, cohesive and smooth in texture. There is a nice gentle build to this La Lagune, quite sensual, perhaps just missing a little precision on the finish, freshly-rolled tobacco lingering on the aftertaste. Fine. Tasted at the 1982 Dinner at Hatched. -- Neal Martin

Bright and alive on the nose, fragrant and really quite evocative with the aromas bursting out of the glass - strawberries, cherries, sour cherries, baked sweet pastry and fruity patisserie products. Juicy and clean on the palate, sharp with an initial tang - a sense of energy and cleanness, mouthwatering with a mineral, iodine edge. There's a delicate finesse to the wine - wide in terms of flavours but light in terms of texture. Tannins have softened with the acidity keeping the direction. It feels like it would have been that bit more full and enjoyable 5-10 years ago, it's lost some plumpness but is still graceful with buoyancy and a lingering flavour.

Beautiful notes of dried herbs new saddle leather roasted nuts black currants and jammy cherries jump from the glass of this spicy fragrant 1982. Medium to full-bodied and fleshy it is the finest La Lagune produced in the last thirty years. Just reaching its plateau of maturity it appears to have the balance and depth to age effortlessly for 10 more years.</P>

Very dark garnet-red with an inky center. Ripe berry and tobacco aromas. Medium- to full-bodied with tobacco raspberry and light toasted oak flavors. Silky finish. Outstanding if not quite as impressive as I anticipated.--1982 Bordeaux horizontal. Drink now. (JS)