82 DRC La Tache, Richebourg, Echezeaux Part 2

主菜
三瓶由英國帶回來的DRC，因1982並非好好的年份，所以大家開首沒有很高的期望。


1982 Domaine Romanee Conti – Echezeaux
喝過最多的DRC產品，好像都是較新的年份，1998，1999，2000及2001。印象之中不是最高水平，往往比Leory Premier Crus 比下去。但這瓶舊DRC卻不同。一開瓶便直接倒入酒杯，香味比喝過的DRC Echezeaux 新年份要強二至三倍，入口開首body medium，但breathing 30分鐘之後，酒身變full，好powerful，aftertaste強。勁！(****)


1982 Domaine Romanee Conti – Richebourg
電影Sideway之中女配角話唔準開那瓶。開瓶便之後先倒進decanter，十五分鐘之後才倒入酒杯。開首十五分鐘香味不明顯，但三十分鐘過後，香味澎湃，有強勁成熟莓味，比起DRC Echezeaux 香味要勁一倍。入口好powerful，tannin充足，以Pinot Noir釀成的酒來說，很complex。好飲。(****/*)

Parker TN (RP90)
Fully mature, and on the edge of losing some fruit, as well as fragilly balanced, this voluptuous, intensely perfumed, decadent wine is ideal for current drinking. Cellaring it any longer could be fraught with potential for disappointment.



1982 Domaine Romanee Conti – La Tache
被譽為DRC最灑家的monopole，雖然今次tasting沒有DRC既Romanee Conti，但有La Tache已經算唔錯。開瓶便之後先倒進decanter，十分鐘之後才倒入酒杯。顏酒較Echezeaux及Richebourg都要淺色，而且都算濁，令人擔心。好彩沒有cork味。開首三十分鐘香味不明顯，但三十分鐘過後，香味開始如泉湧出，強勁
成熟莓味，比起DRC Richebourg 香味一樣勁。與Richebourg比較，香味更加Pure及elegant。最有趣的是小時後，香味典型Leroy Premier Cru一模一樣。但早前喝過多瓶Leroy village wines 及 premier crus都有一個問題，就是香味好，但酒身跟不上，但這瓶La Tache則沒有此問題，body同香味同樣強勁。入口full而且緊密 (seamless)，滑淨而且pure，powerful但elegant，很奇怪的組合但非常喝，超正！(*****)

Parker TN (RP84)
PRODUCTION: 2,685 cases. This was a gorgeously delicious wine to drink during the first 7-8 years of its life, when I consistently rated it 88-91. It has now become diffuse and muddled with fading fruit. The color is a medium garnet with noticeable browning at the edge. Some of the famed DRC perfume of smoky oak and overripe fruit can still be found, but in the mouth the wine tastes flabby and unstructured. It is beginning to crack up, and should be drunk immediately.



P.S. 80年代的DRC其實由Madam Leroy 所釀制的，而labels上亦反這事實。如果高於La Tache同似現在Leroy酒的風格，不如趁機多買點Leroy吧！而且較便宜。

瓶bordeaux
本來驚幾瓶DRC狀態不佳，要用舊bordeaux壓陣。


1982 Gruaud Larose, Saint Julien
真正ex-chateau貨式，連酒的都是當年Cordier酒商紙盒。Level極高至瓶頸，四點開瓶後至九點才喝。倒進decanter，一小時之後才倒入酒杯。香味一貫cordier酒的皮味。三十分鐘過後，仲出現漿糊味及少許cork味。喝完三瓶DRC之後，有點反高潮的感覺。入口好full好新淨，好complex，有layers及aftertaste好長，評分計屬靚酒，但不是自己喜歡那類。(***/*)

Parker TN (RP96)
An extraordinarily powerful, backward wine with unlimited up-side potential, the opaque plum/purple/black-colored 1982 Gruaud-Larose exhibits an explosive nose of new saddle leather, plums, prunes, black cherry jam, chocolate, steak tartare, and roasted espresso. Unbelievably powerful, thick, and intense, with full body, mouth-searing tannin levels, a grilled steak-like flavor, and a huge, intense finish, this is a monster, blockbuster 1982 that still needs 5-7 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. It should prove to be one of the most profound Gruaud-Laroses made in the twentieth century. In quality, it is a first-growth.


1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschilds, Pauillac
82年五大，一瓶也未曾喝過，但希望有機會品嚐的是82 Latour及82 Mouton，兩瓶拿了Parker 100滿分酒。 有人大方贈予tasting。香味不顯，幾close，相信要breathing多幾小時，酒也未必開。但在微弱香味之中，尚算pure，elegant則談不上。入口full bodied，很滑淨，complex，但似乎沒有太多layers，是未透夠氣還是這瓶酒condition不濟？有人因趕時間關係索性用保鮮紙把洒在酒杯封住，拿回家才喝。(****)

Parker TN (RP100)
Opaque purple-colored showing absolutely no signs of lightening, Mouton's 1982 is a backward wine. Still tasting like a 4-5 year old Bordeaux, it will evolve for another half century.

At the Philadelphia tasting, it was impossibly impenetrable and closed, although phenomenally dense and muscular. However, on two other recent occasions, I decanted the wine in the morning and consumed it that evening and again the following evening. It is immune to oxidation! Moreover, it has a level of concentration that represents the essence of the Mouton terroir as well as the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon it contains.

Cassis, cedar, spice box, minerals, and vanillin are all present, but this opaque black/purple Pauillac has yet to reveal secondary nuances given its youthfulness. It exhibits huge tannin, unreal levels of glycerin and concentration, and spectacular sweetness and opulence. Nevertheless, it demands another decade of cellaring, and should age effortlessly for another seven or eight decades.

I have always felt the 1982 Mouton was perfect, yet this immortal effort might be capable of lasting for 100 years! Readers who want to drink it are advised to decant it for at least 12-24 hours prior to consumption. I suggest double decanting, i.e., pouring it into a clean decanter, washing out the bottle, and then repouring it back into the bottle, inserting the cork, leaving the air space to serve as breathing space until the wine is consumed 12-24 hours later. The improvement is striking. The fact that it resists oxidation is a testament to just how youthful it remains, and how long it will last. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2075.