I’m just catching up on some back posts now.  A few months ago, we had a bottle of 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild from our cellar (Bordeaux – Pauillac, France).  The bottle was uncorked at 9am and poured at 6pm.  Great fill, into the neck.  Very dark reddish black color, very slight lightening at the rim.  Complex nose of dark fruit and some forest floor, but it was all very subtle.  In the mouth, again subtle sweet dark fruit with a great balance of tannin and acid.  It ended with a medium-long finish.   Towards the end of the bottle (1.5 hours later), the nose was still subtle but more sweet fruit was coming through, with some forestry secondary characteristics and the smooth finish was getting longer.  The wine seemed like it was still just trying to wake up from a long hibernation period and could have used more air time to show it’s stuff.  Nice wine, but a little disappointing on the showing of this monumental legend of a wine.  Next time, I will let it have more air time. (92pts.)

Cellar Gems are reviews of bottles aged in our cellar.