Moncharm Chateau Pichon Lalande 1982 Tasting

December 25^th 2011

After yet another year working hard in the Moncharm office it was time to relax, and what better way to do that than to enjoy my Christmas dinner of fillet steak (yes, turkey doesn’t go down too well in my house) accompanied with a superb magnum of Pichon Lalande 1982.

This beautiful bottle certainly needs no introduction, with its gold capsule and writing on the label it looks nothing short of majestic, stunning even. The anticipation was high and I literally couldn’t wait to open and decant it. Unfortunately this magnum which had come directly from Bordeaux to Moncharm had at some point or other during its twenty seven year life, been left to stand up for too long as the cork was three quarters of the way down dried out, leaving the top of the cork to perish completely  at the wrath of the corkscrew! After a minutes’ head scratching we decided the best route would simply be to push the remainder of the intact cork into the bottle and filter the wine prior to decanting. "Don’t worry I’m a pro at this" was my father’s comment at the time. This was to be my only complaint about what seemed to me to be a perfect bottle of wine. I could literally not find a single fault with it in regards to taste, complexity and structure. Everyone who had the pleasure of tasting it including my two friends seemed to be completely seduced by it’s subtle yet stylish charm, so much so that in the weeks to come we spent hours trying to locate another magnum for this year.
 We drank this well into the evening all of us feeling blown away by each sip. One third of this vineyard lies in St Julian but now the l’asemblage of the Grand Vin has the right to the Pauillac appellation giving the Pichon Lalande the finesse of a St Julien coupled with the backbone of a Paulliac.I wish I had another bottle!

                                                                                                                    

The Stunning Pichon Lalande 1982

Tasting Notes

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse De Lalande 1982

Magnum bottle (150cl)

Time Opened: 14.00pm

Colour: Garnet red, looks youthful with no signs of bricking although it has all but shaken off it’s tannins   

Nose: Cassis, plums and finesse personified (I could literally sit and smell it all day long)

Palate: Marvelously full bodied, sweet fruit, Rich and spicy without being overbearing, silky smooth tannins and a long finish, This wine is so smooth and silky, with every sip its like giving your mouth a massage!  

Final Comments:

This is quite simply put the best bottle of Bordeaux I have ever tasted and if anything ever beats it I’d like to see it! The Pichon Lalande is at it’s peak and drinking fantastically right now. If I could give a wine 110 out of 100 it would be this one, I recommend anyone that loves Bordeaux wine and hasn’t tasted this do it now while you get the chance! I can only wish I had another bottle ah c'est la vie!

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