Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993 face-off

Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993 face-off, comparing 12 estates. Overall disappointing, especially 1993 which was a vintage marked by a generally rushed and early harvest due to fall rains. Main observations for 1983: 1/ tannins still feel drying at times, but otherwise plenty of substance and generally good balance for ’83 while ’93 was often lacking balance and felt unripe, 2/ lighter type of berry fruit, but sufficiently ripe for ’83 and at times more vegetal for ‘93, 3/ 1983 typically beats 1993 (exceptions Mouton, Calon Ségur, Lagrange, Gruaud Larose), 4/ in sum, ’83 came in ahead of ’93 with an avg. score of 90.5 vs 90.0 (<90 excl. Mouton), 5/ Top 2 ’83 were Haut-Brion (94) and Palmer (93), top 2 ’93 were Mouton (94) and Lagrange (93).

Remarks: All wines were opened before serving, but not decanted.

• 1983 Château Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  A nice bouquet of varied aging notes with mushrooms, truffles, wet leaves and intense tobacco aromas. A splash of Cognac. The blueberry and blackberry fruit was consequently overshadowed a bit. On the palate more tobacco, lingering throughout the finish and a slightly more present fruit. Tannin still quite grippy, a bit dry even. Somewhat thin with an acidity overhang, but gracefully aged and elegant. Had another bottle shortly thereafter which felt even more advanced, but with comparable features. But in any case more alive than the 1993.

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• 1993 Château Haut-Brion 86 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Feels already slightly tired with beef juice notes. Otherwise leather and scorched earth, dark cherry fruit, a bit raisin-like in style. Still pretty intense, but also slightly alcoholic. On the palate drying tannin, more tobacco type of aging notes and again maggi-like aromas. This may still be enjoyable for some, but to me nearing end of life.

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• 1993 Château Pape Clément 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Not overly expressive, but still showing fine aging notes of tobacco and leather, a beautiful and light red cherry and strawberry fruit and mineral notes of pencil shavings. Slightly lactic notes in the mix as well. Strong structure and balance, but coarse tannin that felt unripe and overly green.

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• 1983 Château Pape Clément 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Aging notes of sous-bois, fine tobacco, cedar wood along with bramble berry and blueberry fruit as well as mineral notes of iron. Still rather mouthcoating tannin and felt like a wobbly balance, but otherwise softly textured and overall in better shape than 1993.

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• 1993 Château Montrose 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Dusty rock minerality, fine base notes of underwood and leathery elements. Blueberry, red and dark cherry fruit provide for a complex fruit profile. Full bodied palate, some heat unfortunately, otherwise acceptable balance and felt like early days given the structure. But leans towards unripe in terms of fruit.

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• 1983 Château Montrose 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Bouquet of dried leaves, dry earth, nicely juxtaposed by rose water and a more red berry type of fruit with a splash of Kirsch and irony mineral notes. A fruity palate with more red cherry, but quite drying tannin and an abrupt finish leaving you with dry sensation.

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• 1983 Château Calon-Ségur 81 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Slight maggi notes and beef juice, but otherwise still present red cherry fruit and hardly notable aging notes. The palate already reminiscent of vinegar for a large part. A rare instance of the ’83 losing out to the ’93.

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• 1993 Château Calon-Ségur 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Fine aging notes, although somewhat blurry. Cherry and red currant fruit, fresh in character. Dried herbs. The fresh style transports well to the palate, although aromatic intensity there was lacking and tannin felt pretty dry. A rare instance of the ’93 being in better shape than the ‘83.

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• 1983 Château Margaux 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Still quite intense with leather notes and a cherry fruit, but this already tasted unripe from the start. Slightly metallic and with a bit of imagination also a touch of menthol. The palate with solid structure, present and not as unripe of a fruit as I expected. Still rather mouthcoating tannin, even though the texture was acceptably soft. This failed to impress, but I note that another bottle a few days later performed leagues better.

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• 1993 Château Margaux 89 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Black coffee, darker cherry and blueberry fruit with decent ripeness. Leather and only fine layers of aging notes. Greenish flavors and somewhat unripe fruit on the palate, otherwise quite structured even if with mouthcoating tannin.

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• 1983 Château Palmer 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  A humble yet noble wine. Elements of butterscotch and caramel, fine dried wood, fir cone and fir needles. Only hints of aging notes. Well-defined cherry fruit. Structured palate with a soft texture but slightly drying tannin as the main drawback.

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• 1993 Château Palmer 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Thin base of aging notes and not overly expressive in general. But did come across younger with a rather fresh fruit, just about sufficiently ripe, mineral notes of blood.

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• 1983 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Green grassy notes of asparagus, red cherry fruit, fine oak notes, a bit of leather. Quite enjoyable so far. The palate with decent structure, but rather high on acidity and mouthcoating tannin, felt like several more years needed to fully integrate – but not sure if the aromas will live to witness this.

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• 1993 Château Lagrange (St. Julien) 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  This comes across as a big, bold wine with plenty of oomph. Intense with a broad mineral base, dark violets, leather, espresso and ripe and extracted dark cherry fruit. The balance is good and felt like still very early days here.

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• 1993 Château Gruaud Larose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Extracted but weirdly at the same time unripe cherry fruit, plenty of leather, tobacco and some oak flavors. Soft texture, but full-bodied and masculine on the palate with good balance.

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• 1983 Château Gruaud Larose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Blurry aging notes of leather and maybe a whiff of truffles. Cherry fruit, slightly unripe, and dried leaves. Solid structure with slightly coarse tannin but ok balance.

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• 1983 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Lactic and milky with hard to define cherry fruit, lacking precision. Milky notes recede with aeration, revealing a more layered and detailed fruit profile. The palate with a more clearly defined red cherry fruit, still slightly drying tannin but in good balance. Nice aging notes on the palate.

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• 1993 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Barnyard and horse saddle notes, dark cherry and black currant fruit. Maybe hints of coffee but also vegetal, unripe herbal notes. Mineral dimension of iodine and just a whiff of graphite. Red cherry fruit on the palate, lacking just a bit of ripeness but otherwise near-ideal balance even if the tannin felt coarse and drying.

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• 1983 Château Mouton Rothschild 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark cherry fruit, ripe with a sweet accent, leather and hints of floral top notes. Structured, masculine palate with rather drying tannin, but otherwise good balance. This ’83 couldn’t match the surprisingly strong ’93.

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• 1993 Château Mouton Rothschild 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark cherry and brambleberry fruit, also red cherry elements. Iodine minerality. Fine savory notes, sprinkled with spice. Mouthcoating tannin, but otherwise good tension, fresh acidity and overall harmonious.

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• 1993 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Almost confit type of fruit, blueberry, red and black cherry. Fine coffee bean notes. Hardly any aging notes to note. Acidity driven mid-palate although with rather drying tannin into the finish.

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• 1983 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Slightly corked immediately, deteriorating quickly and hard to discern much beyond this.

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• 1983 Château La Fleur-Pétrus 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Extracted and on balance somewhat riper fruit, adding plenty of coffee beans but also leather and tobacco as well as after a while a minty element. Fresh and almost vibrant palate, but leaving you with drying tannin and a sensation of imbalance.

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• 1993 Château La Fleur-Pétrus 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Scorched earth but also wet earth, nice and fresh – maybe even slightly unripe - cherry fruit and slight Cognac aromas. Even though there were some promising elements on the nose, the palate is overwhelmingly tannic, unfortunately.

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