Some vintages become shorthand, and Mouton Rothschild 1982 is one of them — the wine that, more than any other, built the reputation of the year and with it the modern trade in old Bordeaux. Baron Philippe de Rothschild had won first growth status for the estate only nine years earlier, in 1973. The label for this vintage was painted by the film director John Huston.
The wine itself is Pauillac at its most opulent: Cabernet Sauvignon from the gravel rises north of the village, given by the heat of 1982 a sweetness of fruit that has taken four decades to unwind. Bottles that have been kept properly are still whole — cassis gone to liqueur, cedar, graphite, and a warm finish that goes on and on.
This is the reference bottle for anyone whose year is 1982, and it is priced as such. Stand it upright for two days and decant it with care.
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Producer: Château Mouton Rothschild
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Vintage: 1982
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Appellation: Pauillac AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. Good bottles of this wine are still in a strong place rather than declining, which is rare at forty-four years, though it is sold — like all our pre-1990 stock — as a collectible item without a guarantee of drinkability.
Who it suits. The obvious and correct present for someone born in 1982 turning forty-four in 2026, when the occasion warrants the best bottle of the year rather than a good one.
Condition. The merchant grades the bottle as good — label, capsule and fill all consistent with careful cellaring rather than a bottle that has been moved about.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
