Chateau La Louviere Rouge, 1982 Red Wine
Pessac Leognan
Bottle size: 75cl
ABV: 12%
Price:
£89.95
Description
1982 Château La Louvière comes from the legendary 1982 Bordeaux vintage and offers a beautifully mature expression of Graves. After more than forty years in bottle, this classic claret has shed its youthful firmness and settled into a gracefully evolved, savoury style, where minerality, tobacco and gentle fruit all sit in harmony.
In the glass, it shows a brick-garnet core with a broad, fading rim. The nose is refined and quietly complex: dried blackcurrant and red cherry mingle with cedar, cigar box, graphite and cool earth. Hints of roasted herbs, leather and a touch of smoke reflect its Graves origins, giving the bouquet a distinctly classical, old-school Bordeaux charm.
On the palate, it is medium-bodied, elegant and fully resolved. Fine, powdery tannins support flavours of dried cassis, plum, tobacco leaf and savoury spice, with a subtle mineral edge running through the mid-palate. Acidity is gentle but still present, keeping the wine balanced and fresh enough to avoid any sense of fatigue. The finish is long, savoury and persistent, carried by notes of cedar, leaf and gently fading fruit.
This is a wine for lovers of mature claret, best enjoyed in a quiet, unhurried setting rather than as a show of power. Serve at cellar temperature after a careful, brief decant to remove sediment. A rare opportunity to experience fully mature Graves from the great 1982 vintage, offering nuance, authenticity and true old-world character.
Condition
good level and label