1982

What we would buy, and why

The reputation is priced in, so buy carefully rather than cheaply. Provenance matters more than the label here: ask for the storage history, and look for a fill in the neck or upper shoulder, an intact capsule and a legible label. A well-kept Saint-Julien or Pomerol at €300 to €600 will give more pleasure than a battered first growth at the same money.

1982 in the world

E.T. filled cinemas through the summer, Michael Jackson released Thriller at the end of November, and the first compact disc players went on sale in Japan in October, quietly starting the end of the record shop.

Best bets for 1982

• Château Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1982, the great overachiever of the vintage
• Château Léoville-Barton or Gruaud-Larose 1982 for Saint-Julien at a fair price
• Barolo 1982 from Bruno Giacosa, Vietti or Aldo Conterno
• Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 if the budget genuinely reaches it

How we grade a bottle

Fill level, label, capsule and cork, then provenance. Every bottle is checked by hand by people who have handled thousands of old bottles, and we write down the flaws as well as the good news. What the fill levels mean · How to choose a birth-year wine