Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, 1981

The best thing about turning 82 is to have wines like this to help me celebrate. The accompanying photo is to emphasize that food and wine are inseparable. My taste buds are still vibrating in memory of the flavors of double cut lamb chops with garlic-caper rub combined with the 1981 Vieux Telegraphe.

Still some red in the center shading to brick. Not as much sediment as the 1986 Beaucastel we had a few days ago. Beautiful smells that become bigger and more complex as the meal goes on. Red fruit, flowers and Provencal herbs. Sweet on entry, rich on the mid palate with red berries and licorice on the beautiful, long finish. Beautifully preserved for a 40-year-old wine. Every bit as good, maybe a tad better than the 1986 Beaucastel. VT and Beaucastel were the two Chateauneufs that dominated the market in the early to mid-1980s, and it's become increasingly clear to me that they still rank near the top.