This wine was so fragile when it was first released that I thought it had to be drunk in its first 10-12 years of life. It was exceptionally low in acidity, and had very sweet tannins, but the wine is still alive - another testament to the mystery of how wines age, and that if there is good concentration, there may be more balance than one initially suspects. This chocolaty, exotic, almost New World style of wine has lost some of its ostentatiousness, but there is still an underlying herbaceous character intermixed with notes of jammy black cherries as well as a succulent texture. There is considerable amber at the edge, and this 1982 would appear to be drying out slightly on the finish. However, I was surprised by just how well it performed. - Robert Parker

Tasted at the chateau at a private vertical tasting. Compared to the ’86, the ’82 has more chutzpah, more intensity on the nose with wild mushroom, sous-bois, a touch of iodine and a hint of toffee one often finds on ’82 Pomerols. There is fine balance on the palate although this appears to have lost vigour in recent years, less precocious than at the turn of the millennium, rather surly towards the finish with hints of espresso, Provencal herbs and sloe. It is soft and quite sensuous in texture although it lacks the insistency of its peers. - Neal Martin