The Legendary 1982 Mouton Rothschild

Wine Club Miami hosts the dinner of icons with Lafite, Mouton, Vieux Certan and more

Perhaps no other vintage is more famous than 1982 Bordeaux. It’s what you learn early in your wine journey: 1982 is baller status. But it’s not until you taste it that you understand why.

On February 5th, Wine Club Miami gathered once again at Michael’s Genuine for an extraordinary evening of fine wines and expertly paired cuisine. All eight of us could barely focus on work that day. Our eyes were glistening with the thought of drinking the 1982 Mouton Rothschild and 1982 Vieux Château Certan B2B, with a ‘67 Lafite Rothschild thrown as the final dagger and a stunning finale of 1990 Château d’Yquem.

Let’s get into it.

Kicking Off with Bubbles, What Else?

We began the night with a 2018 Bérêche et Fils Rilly-La-Montagne Millésime, a Premier Cru Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut generously provided by member Jesus Cabarcos. This Champagne, with its fine balance of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, showcased remarkable elegance with a delicate 2g/l dosage. The wood oven-roasted feta and citrus-marinated baby beets provided a perfect counterpoint to the wine’s crisp structure and vibrant acidity.

White Bordeaux and a Sonoma Cousin

Transitioning to whites, we compared Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2010 Pessac-Léognan with a 2016 Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée from the Sonoma Coast. The iconic Morlet, a rich and textured blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle, delivered layers of ripe grapefruit, candied lemon, and nutmeg. The Domaine de Chevalier, a classic White Bordeaux, exuded crème brûlée, apple pie, and pear tart—an exceptional match for the grilled local wahoo.

Esteemed critic Robert Parker hailed ‘82 as stunning while the rest of the world shrugged it off. Now everyone knows his name.

The Main Event: A 1982 Bordeaux Showcase

Few vintages in Bordeaux’s history compare to 1982, a year that defined an era of opulence, youth and longevity. Thanks to the incredible generosity of Wesley Castellanos, we experienced two legendary wines of this iconic vintage that put wine critic Robert Parker on the map:

• Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 (Pauillac, Grand Cru) – There are very few perfect wines in the world. Château Mouton Rothschild’s 1982 vintage is one of them. At 43 years old, this has the youthful strength, structure and energy of 80s Arnold on Venice Beach. But a zen-like balance of Siddhartha in the woods. It just tastes young. But texture got to me most. Smooth edges and melted tannins created this ‘embryo’ of protected flavor that hasn’t been poked since 1982. Inside were layers of dark cherry, dust-coated herbs, and a touch of sweet tobacco and wild strawberries from all corners of the world. As Vinous critic Neal Martin writes, “it builds and builds and leaves you utterly smitten”. 1000 points.

• Vieux Château Certan 1982 (Pauillac, Grand Cru) – A regal expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, offering cigar box, loamy earth, walnuts, smoke, and dried mulberries with a full-bodied, multilayered structure. You could sense the rough edges of this wine’s past. A true cowboy of a wine with a bite, spice, canon firing smoked earth that was so damn interesting. Compared to Mouton’s youth, this showed extreme age in a good way with all the components in check. It is a wine lover’s wine.

These extraordinary wines were paired with crispy duck confit and slow-roasted, smoked short rib, enhancing their richness and depth.

The Burgundy Lover’s Lafite: 1967

A good friend recently said that 1967 Bordeaux is a Burgundy lover’s vintage. The Lafite showed a different version of the strength we’re used to seeing out of this powerful region. It was a ballerina on its feet, light and slowly fading into a grainy background of darkness. Light strawberry, raspberry compote and sweet tobacco aromas lifted this high acid version of Lafite, sputtering a long finish at the end. The wine was still there but it was like the sun setting and all you see is a shrinking semi-circle of fire dissipating. It is a wine of immense history and amplitude.

The Grand Finale: Château d’Yquem 1990

To close the evening, member Jeff Tenen generously shared Château d’Yquem 1990, a Sauternes masterpiece bursting with honeyed tropical fruits, apricot, coconut, and peaches. Paired with 8-layer honey cake and sticky toffee pudding, it was the perfect sweet ending to an unforgettable night.

Until next time—cheers!