What's the best food match for 1982 Mouton Rothschild?

Hi everybody,

I have one bottle of 1982 Mouton Rothschild and I plan on cracking it in the next couple of weeks with a few friends. I've never had any Bordeaux close to this magnitude and would love to make sure I have a great wine-food paring.

I know there are those here who have a lot more experience drinking and eating with such bottles. I'd love to get your thoughts. Would a mustard and Thyme crusted lamb fit the bill? Or some cut of beef like fillet mignon or rib eye? Or....?

Thanks!

Lamb is the classic, especially cooked with rosemary.

FWIW, the wine is very good but wildly over-rated.

A nice boneless restaurant grade sirloin steak with very lightly sauteed mushrooms (very easy on herbs and spices).

I don't have a lot of experience with wines like this either. But I would assume that most of the tannins are gone by now. If so, I would not pair it with fattier cuts of meat like strip steak or rib eye. Filet mignon or the larger beef tenderloin would work better. But that's just my opinion.

The key on the food side is simplicity, Steve. If the wine is great, the food has to support, not dominate. Steak or lamb are great choices, but since lamb is an acquired taste, I'd go with steak which would probably appeal to more people.

Dry aged, in this case.

And, enjoy the experience.

Thanks for the tips. The steak and mushrooms sound like a great idea. A while back 6 of us cracked five different Bordeaux's to taste with a mix a foods and many of us thought the mushrooms we had seemed to make some of the younger bottles more approachable or soften the hard edges.

And got it, take it easy on the spices. I guess the cut of steak is the only thing left to choose. Mike, from what Parker says this bottle is still "young" and will probably last until 2075 (crazy!). He suggests decanting it and then pouring it back in the bottle and letting it sit for 12-24 hours before drinking. I'm guessing it must still be pretty potent. I hear you on the fatty vs non fatty depending on how much tannin has survived though...hmmmm

Stuart, I hope it's not too overrated as you suggest, but I guess that's why I'm really looking forward to tasting it. To find out what the deal really is with "coveted" bottles like this.

[Jenise]

Steven, re "overrated": at the risk of going Paula Abdul on you, don't let Stuart's wet blanket dampen your enthusiasm for this wine. Depending on your familiarity with Bordeaux and the particularities of the bottle you own (you know the addage that at this age, there are no good wines, only good bottles), you might well have a wine there to swoon over. What I'd caution you not to do, though, is look at the crazy market values for a wine like this (probably north of $500, maybe twice that) and expect it to be five or ten times better than the best $100 wine you ever had. I've had enough of them to know that you just can't taste market inflation--all you can hope to be is very, very impressed, and if you manage your expectations you probably will be. I wish you well in that (and please, report back, we'll all want to hear how it went).

I agree about a careful touch with the spices, but either lamb or steak should be fine, and this is a burly wine that can stand up to rare meat if you feel like it. I personally would go for lamb, but it's true some don't care for it.

Stuart has probably tasted many more great Bordeaux than I, but I did think the '82 Mouton was great both times I had it- big, bold, exotic. But I agree with Jenise just don't expect "10 times as good as a good $100 bottle." I'd rate the '82 Mouton up there with '83 Cheval Blanc, '82 Ch. l'Evangile, '90 Haut-Brion , etc.; however "perfect" is a whole 'nother concept. Hope the bottle and the meal are everything you hope for (please report back).

Yes, please don't misunderstand me, it's a fine bottle. You'll have a great time with it. I've had it quite a few times and would not kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

but of course - mouton with mouton!

[Jenise]

Yes, please don't misunderstand me, it's a fine bottle. You'll have a great time with it. I've had it quite a few times and would not kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

Now that's more like it.

Yes, please don't misunderstand me, it's a fine bottle. You'll have a great time with it. I've had it quite a few times and would not kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

Now that's more like it.

I rated it a Moe Curly last time out. Double Curly potential. But not a Triple.

Oh, yeah, did I mention the corked one?

There. Is THAT more like me?

[Jenise]

There. Is THAT more like me?

Absolutely. Welcome back.

The deed is done!

I want to thank all of you guys for helping properly prepare me for the Mouton experience. You guys were all dead on. Four of us cracked the Mouton along with a couple of Grand Cru Class Bordeaux's for a truly French evening. 3 pounds of fillet mignon cooked rare with a little melted Gorgonzola on top and some veggies on the side not "over spiced made for an excellent pairing.

OK, the Mouton..... I decanted it, and since I couldn't wait I immediately poured everybody a mouthful. Everybody's first thought was battery acid! I now know what saddle leather in wine tastes like too. It was a mouth-load of tannic acid. We laughed and knew the best thing to do was spend some time with the other bottles that were already decanting and wait.

Long story short, because I could dissect the wines for hours, the Mouton blossomed and turned out to be a very good. I have to admit though, if somebody had served it to me blindly I would have guessed it to be a very good balanced/polished $50 to $75 dollar bottle, but never would have gone "holy crap this is unbelievable".

This is where I want to thank Stuart and Jenise for your comments. My opinion is that Stuart is right and while I'd rather have this bottle over any box of crackers I've ever had it is a bit overrated. And Jenise said it perfectly and you "can't taste inflation". Don't get me wrong it was excellent and delicious AND maybe the best Wednesday night dinner I've ever had I'm just thinking I might prefer a six-pack from Del Dotto or a case of Talbot to one bottle of 82' Mouton.

Sorry for rambling!
-Steve

Thanks so much for the report, Steve. Sounds like a great night!

[Jenise]

if somebody had served it to me blindly I would have guessed it to be a very good balanced/polished $50 to $75 dollar bottle, but never would have gone "holy crap this is unbelievable".

Welcome to the club, Steven. I'm sorry in one sense that your experience wasn't a ticket to the moon, but invariably, this is what happens with those exalted bottles. My own suite of Holy Crap Bordeaux experiences have more often been with non-First Growths (90 Cos, 78 Pontet Canet) and First Growths in less famous years (79 Haut Brion, 53 Lafite) random bottles of lesser houses and lesser (at least according to RP) years, perhaps because they were unexpected or because we were drinking them at a better time in their life. I've got a friend with a locker full of 100 pt Bordeauxs of which I've shared many, and it's a pathetic few of them that made me as happy as a little '83 Cru Bourgeois we opened a few weeks ago or a recent '86 Talbot, to get back to your situation. Bordeaux's the greatest wine in the world (for me anyway), but points are just little words in a book, and there's often little relationship between them and what's in your glass. You did well to open those other wines--a reality check is a useful thing. Thanks so much for reporting back.

Thanks for the notes, Steve. It's always fun to get a follow up report,and you did yours very well indeed.

Regards, Bob

'86 Talbot, now THAT is a Bordeaux I'd cross the street for!

[Jenise]

'86 Talbot, now THAT is a Bordeaux I'd cross the street for!

It was be-yoo-tiful. Wasm't my bottle, but it did make me promptly go out and buy one.