($1899-$2,195) The bottle in the blind flight appeared to have a healthy cork but was disappointing, with aromas of mocha and menthol; a penetrating middle palate with good but not outstanding richness; hints of herbs and mushroom; and substantial, slightly drying tannins. The second bottle was better but still not up to the reputation of this vintage: Full medium-deep red. Very sweet, almost syrupy nose of cherry, chocolate and roast coffee. Fat and silky but with its fruit element rather suppressed. Hugely tannic, even a bit dry, on the end. Based on this event, and two or three earlier samples of this wine, it hard to avoid the conclusion that this is a very good but hardly stellar vintage for Petrus.

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Thick and sweet and actually rather austere still. Long. Intense. Mineral. More Médoc-like than the Ch Lafleur 1982 tasted alongside. Quite lush with notes of gunpowder somehow. Round. Smoky. Some right-bank bloody character.

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From barrel, this remains one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. Whether fining and filtration pulled more out of it than was intended, only the proprietor knows. However, the 1982 Petrus turned in a strong performance in Philadelphia in contrast to other tastings when it has been less than spectacular. The color reveals some amber at the edge. A sweet nose of caramel, roasted herbs, cherry jam, cedar, and smoke is followed by a thick, full-bodied, unctuously-textured, low acid Petrus that is approaching full maturity. This was a dazzling showing for this 1982, which has performed irregularly since birth. Although abundant tannin remains, the wine is sweet, smoky, and ideal for drinking now and over the next 20-25 years. A bottle drunk in France in March, 2000, was equally sublime.

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Dark ruby garnet. Intense tobacco, cedar, berry and blackberry. Full-bodied, silky, firm and fresh. Long. A beauty. One of the best bottles I have ever had.--Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.

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