Ed Mc Carthy and Mary Ewing Mulligan MW gave me a bottle of wine for my birthday. It was the 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Pauillac).
I told them at the time that I would invite them over for dinner and open the wine with them. So this past November over 14 years later Michele and I invited them over for dinner and we opened the bottle.
In December we had friends over for dinner that live in Rome part of the time or go to Rome often. One of the guests sent me an e-mail that he was looking in his wine cellar and found a 1982 Chateau Palmer (Margaux) and would bring it.
It was interesting to drink these wine less than a month apart. Both wines were in excellent condition. The Palmer was at its peak and would not benefit from longer aging. The Mouton will last for a number of years.
Chateau Palmer is a great Bordeaux, and should have been rated a 2nd Growth rather than a Third Growth (in the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux and Sauternes). Chateau Mouton-Rothschild is a 1st Growth, deservedly. One of the great assets of First Growths is their longevity. I agree with you that 1982 Mouton will outlive ’82 Palmer. I had a 1966 Mouton-Rothschild recently that was drinking beautifully. Anyone lucky enough to own any 1945 Bordeaux will tell you how great they are! I tasted 1945 Mouton twice (don’t own any), and it was the greatest red wine I have ever tasted. The 1966 Palmer was also outstanding, my greatest Ch. Palmer.
Ciao Ed, I agree