Betsy was coming home from a few days in Boston, I marinated some lamb chops with garlic and rosemary, plus prepared a arugula/bean dish, mashed potatoes, and a green salad. To celebrate her return and to mourn the large amount of money we need to spend on roof, I opened the 1982 Ch. Lanessan (Haut-Medoc). 26 is certainly pushing it for a Cru Bourgeois (that's not Sociando), and I had a backup bottle of Bordeaux ready. Nice dark color on decanting, though I think the fruit is a bit pruney at first. I worry that it will crack up quickly. Surprisingly, the opposite happens. Fruit seems to freshen into more classic blackcurrant, with an undertone of red plums. There's pencil shavings and leather. Low acid, round, resolved tannins, decent length. Not a wine that I'd call great, but holds up well over 2 hours and is satisfying claret, albeit in a ripe round style. While many are fading now, one of the things that made '82 great for me is the astounding number of well-performing lower end wines. B++
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.