Horizontal tasting of 1983 bordeaux

Fifteen of the top clarets from the 1983 vintage, the only obvious absentees being Petrus and Le Pin. And what a fantastic bunch they were. Apart from the Latour which was corked (a shame as it was superb earlier in the year), the only dud here was Ausone. The rest ranged from excellent to thrilling. A common theme was rich, ripe fruit, fleshy, juicy textures, and many showed a pungent cedary fragrance.

The wines were served blind in six flights, the identities being revealed after each flight. Unlike in the 1978 tasting a few weeks back, these wines pretty much all tasted as their reputations suggest they should and I managed to identify the last seven correctly.

• 1983 Château Haut-Marbuzet 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Glorious rich tangy nose, full and oaky on the palate, quite sweet, seemed a bit less substantial when I returned to it after wine no 2 (the Gruaud), but it's still a lovely wine

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• 1983 Château Gruaud Larose 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Wow, the intensity of the fragrance on this was extraordinary, a bit farmyardy, but deep, rich, earthy, lots of cedar, waves of flavour - fantastic

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• 1983 Château Haut-Brion 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  After the Gruaud, this was narrower, a bit medicinal, but good cassis fruit, mint, vanilla, coconut - indeed still seemed to be showing new oak

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• 1983 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Pure cassis nose, dry, very classic, a lot of tannin - buttoned up, but very classy

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• 1983 Château Mouton Rothschild 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Dark, nose malty, piercing, powerful - on the palate deeply fruit, with blackcurrant and spice, exotic, fills the mouth and goes on and on - wonderful

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• 1983 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Sweet and chocolatey on the nose, confirmed on the palate, new world style, but fresh on the palate, rich and oaky but very harmonious

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• 1983 Château Lafite Rothschild 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  After the exuberant Mouton and Pichon Lalande, this seemed quite dry and reserved although it was in fact rich and ripe by any normal standards, blackcurrant and mint - very classic, very elegant

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• 1983 Château Latour Grand Vin Flawed

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Marked TCA - shame as all the signs were that underneath the taint was a superb wine

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• 1983 Château Rausan-Ségla 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Striking precision on the nose, the lines of flavour clearly delineated, on the palate lots of rich juicy cabernet fruit - tannic, but very fresh, vibrant

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• 1983 Château Margaux 96 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Broader and riper than the Rausan, dry, quite austerely so, but very substantial on the palate - this seemed to grow and grow in power and authority - really grand - a few complained that this lacked nuance, but for me the classical grandeur of this wine was a thing of wonder

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• 1983 Château Palmer 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Like the Gruaud, this had a huge rich, truffley farmyard fragrance, on the palate really substantial, deep fruit, earth, cedar - rich and very exciting

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• 1983 Vieux Château Certan 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Dark, lighter bodied than the other wines, plenty of sweet merlot fruit on the palate, very nice, but not as distinctive as the other wines today

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• 1983 Château Lafleur 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Pronounced nose, sweet and chocolately, rich, roasted, dried fruits, tannic, a bit heavy and port-like

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• 1983 Château Ausone 84 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Minty, volatile, sweaty - too old, though there's still a whack of tannin there

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• 1983 Château Cheval Blanc 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru

  Mint on the nose, but on the palate dense, sweet, cedary - fruit-cake richness

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