1982 Moulin des Carruades/ Carruades de Lafite

1982 Moulin des Carruades;
(2nd Lafite Rothschild) The second label of Château Lafite Rothschild changed it's name from Moulin des Carruades to Carruades de Lafite sometime in the first half of the 1980's. According to Lafite's own webpages, they states that it happened before the eighties. Sotheby's have had Moulins up for auction of the 82 vintage, and I've even seen 83's and 84's, side by side with Carruades de Lafites of same vintage. It's some of a mystery, I've asked Lafite directly, they haven't come out with an answer yet. I have also asked one of the worlds leading experts on the matter, without any answers there either, so, how to conclude?

The bottle has been lying in my cellar for quite a while, and I was just too curious to wait any longer now. If the experts can't answer me, can the wine? Is it fake? Is it vinegar? Is it corked? Is it Bordeaux? Is it any good? Also seeing some asume the value of this bottle to be around £2000 in some extreme cases on the internet, and the only bottle I actually could find for sale was £450, should I just sell the damn thing and stop worrying?

No, I'm too curious for that. When I see the flowers from below, I don't wan't to ask myself, would that bottle have been good? Great even? If I have the chance to taste, I will. So, how does it taste?

A/B level fill, just at the bottom of the neck, very top shoulder. Cork, seems perfect, too good, too new, ah, it's clearly a fake. The pulltap only creates a whole in the cork when trying to open it, it's glued to the bottle, hm, maybe it is the real stuff? Then the cork is older than it looks from above..... With the old cork thing, I don't have a name for this device, but to metal struts, one slightly longer than the other, and slightly sprung, you push it gently in by the sides of the cork, then turn gently and the cork comes out (when you're lucky anyway). The cork came out, half soaked, the top outher milimetre of the cork more or less still glued to the bottleneck's inside. Cork reads IN DE RUADES 982 UILLAC boutelles ropriete.

Would not be to hard to see that as MOULIN DE CARRUADES 1982 PAUILLAC, Mis en bouteille a la propriete. Anyway, the cork smells of rotten leaves and dirt!

Pouring the wine into the glass, a beautifull bright ruby core, garnet rim with just a hint of brick. Nose of violets, very elegant blackcurrants and blackberries, hints of tobacco, prunes, fine leather, stones of stone fruits, touch of vanilla, pefumed, hint of roses, very seductive, not too intense, complex and very refined. Very pure. The florality just ads intensity after 25 minutes. On the palate, again very elegant, fantastic fresh acidity, so alive and vigorous, playfull and just carries the flavours for 30 seconds. Tannins ripe and feels more or less gone, quite a few still hang arround, relaxing on the tongue and gums. But they are so totally integrated in the texture and profile of the wine that you have to look hard to notice, they are in no way obvious, the texture is just gorgeous. Vibrant and kicking, pure, extremelly elegant. No difficulties finding Pauillac typicity in this one, mixed with the beautifull Lafite elegance. If this was a fake, please make more! A stunning wine. 95