I have had this many times this year, and like the 1982 Mouton from the same lunch, this was a superb bottle. It showed loads of dark berries like cassis and raspberries on the nose with just a hint of licorice. It was full bodied and juicy on the palate yet silky and refined. It lasted for a couple of minutes between each gulp. 95 points. If I had some 1982s like this in my cellar, I would find it hard not to open them soon....

Reading these notes gives many of us a vicarous thrill. Thank you! I might never try these, but I thoroughly enjoy the reading.

Now, I have what is likely a dumb question, but will a top Margaux have as long a bottle life as a more heavily cab-based Bordeaux?

Not a dumb question. I don't think there will be any difference really. It's more a question of the wines with more Cabernet being slightly more tannic and less opulent than those with more Merlot. I had a bottle of 1900 Margaux a couple of nights ago and it was in excellent condition. It was a Ginestet bottle, a wine merchant who owned the Margaux before the present owners bought it in 1977. Here is my note: Incredible aromas of currant and cedar follow through to a full-bodied palate with silky and long tannins and a ripe and fruity finish. The after taste shows cedar and tobacco. Yummy... 98 points.

Thank you kindly both for these notes (fabulous) and for bringing considerable insight and civility to this forum.

How would you compare the 82 to 83?

Oops. I read this before I saw the 1982 Mouton thread so I moved my post there.

James Suckling ---I opened a 1982 Chateau Margaux two years ago, while traveling in Sonoma. It was thick and big but did not possess the sweetness, perfume, or fruit that I was expecting. I thought it still may have been too early to open that bottle, so I removed the cork that morning, but left the juice in the bottle all day, without decanting, till we served the wine at dinner. Could that procedure adversely affected this bottle, or was it just too soon to open, or could it have been just an off bottle?

I have another one still in the cellar and I would like to be sure of when to try it again.
Any thoughts?

I was saving my 1000th post to report on a tasting next week but these notes are hard not to comment on - thanks again!

I've only had the '82 Margaux once and it was clearly a damaged bottle bested by both the '81 and '83. I have one more that I'm planning on opening relatively soon.

The 1900...well, I'll have to picture that one through your notes .