I could identify the smell immediately it was unmistakable. I soaked up as much of the color as I could, realizing that this would probably be the only rewarding part of the experience.Įventually, I swirled the glass, drew it up to my nose and took a deep whiff. The wine had that signature brown hue at the edge that you only see with older clarets. While I waited, I tilted the glass and held it above the white counter-top. Still, I removed the rest of the cork, wiped the mold off the lip of the bottle, poured the wine and let it breathe. At this point, I pretty much knew it was over. As the cork was about half-way out of the bottle, it started to crumble and tear in half. Further inspection revealed that the top of the cork was also wet. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I peeled the foil off the cap. Plus, although Parker said it was “fully mature” and suggested it would last until the end of 2007, I had read elsewhere that it was past its prime. There was no information about how it was stored all these years. I didn’t have high hopes for this wine, to be honest. The ‘79 Pichon-Lalande, though, was no slouch-Parker includes it among his discussion of important ancient vintages for this chateau, calling it a “top-notch” effort and scoring it a 90. The wine they stole from the van was the ‘86 Pichon-Lalande, which Parker scored a 94 in 2003. You may recall the episode of the Sopranos in which Tony and Christopher heist several cases of wine. When I met him to go through the remainder of his stash, I spied a 1979 Pichon-Lalande still left in the box, so I liberated it. For him it was more of an Alias experience than a Lynch-Bages experience-he just thought it was cool that he was drinking the same wine that was mentioned on his favorite TV show. He didn’t know that Lynch-Bages is a respectable Fifth Growth chateau or that Robert Parker rated its 1982 offering an impressive 94. He didn’t know that 1982 is a legendary vintage for Bordeaux. He was watching the TV show Alias when someone on the show mentioned the ’82 Lynch-Bages, so he uncorked it. He had drunk almost all of the Bordeaux by the time I got the chance to see the wine, including a bottle of 1982 Chateau Lynch-Bages. ![]() ![]() From what I understand, the lots included an impressive collection Bordeaux. And wine can be a fun way to measure those changes if you have the right bottle.Ī good friend of mine is an antiques dealer, and in the not-too-distant past he picked up a few lots of mixed bottles of wine at an estate auction. I was eight years old then, and all I cared about was Star Wars and pizza. Revolution in the Middle East led to an energy crisis, The Police’s Roxanne was making its way to No. The year the grapes for this wine were harvested was an interesting year.
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