• Cailles wrote: 94 points

    December 31, 2023 - 20 Top Wines of the 1983 Vintage: Six Bordeaux titans. Each bottle exceeded our expectations, showcasing classic Bordeaux structures, bursting with freshness, tension, and an invigorating verve. The perfect harmony of tertiary aromas and a robust fruit core was mesmerizing. 1983 has produced some great wines drinking in their prime today. For me, the Latour, scoring a stellar 97 points, was the standout star. Yet, by a narrow margin, the group’s heart went to the Cheval Blanc.

    TN: This had a pretty subpar cork and was hence much more evolved than it should have been. Yet that brought us a glimps into the future: it showed layered with those fine malty notes you usually only get with much older wines. Additionally, some smoke notes mixing with minerality and dried dark berries. While the structure did hold up, the wine was not 100% clean but got better and better with air.

    Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption. This needed more air in the glass, but as mentioned above - not a representative bottle.

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  • Cailles wrote: 91 points

    December 28, 2023 - 12x Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993: All wines tasted single blind. Not decanted. As anticipated, the 1983 vintage prevailed in our comparative tasting, scoring 8 to 2 wins against the 1993 vintage, with two ties. The structured, classic ’83s exhibited greater depth and harmony compared to the ‘93s, which tended to be simpler, sometimes slightly green and dry, or at their best, fresh and light. However, in both vintages, aside from a few notable labels, many wines were evidently beyond their peak. The standout was, unsurprisingly, the Margaux (94pts). Tasting the some of the same ’83s a second time a few days later with decanting showed a marked improvement, highlighting the need of aeration.

    TN: Vibrant on the nose with a medium intensity of dark berries, laced with a smoky, ripe charm and a touch of minerality. On the palate, it starts with a bold smokiness, gradually mellowing as the fruit emerges. The structure is elegant, with smooth tannins and a fresh feel, though it retains a slightly green, ashy note. Nose scores a handsome 93pts, with the overall experience at 91pts and better than the 1993 (84pts) which is past peak.

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  • Waël Likes this wine: 95 points

    December 9, 2023 - The cork came out impeccably by Jascha Baraness, head sommelier at Le Select (Toronto). Poured into a decanter for 30 minutes to rest, then drank over a meal. The color is rusty iron red letting in layers of light through the glass. The initial bouquet is heavy on wood, forest floor, moist mushrooms. Some coaxing brings forward beautiful aromas of unripe cassis, leather, blood, green pepper, graphite, coffee and spices. The palate is smooth, with barely perceptible tannins. Medium bodied but long on the finish. Green pepper is foremost on the palate, followed by maraschino cherries, crushed black pepper, and a complex array of very subtle red fruit in the background. At 40 years old, this is in its peak and well worth the experience.

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  • G_H wrote: 97 points

    November 25, 2023 - 40 years on: A global 1983 retrospective: Malt, cocoa, espresso, caramel, medicine cabinet, wonderfully creamy and long. LOVE IT!

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  • sirpat00 wrote: 93 points

    November 25, 2023 - 1983 vintage horizontal with >20 wines, mostly from Bordeaux. Key observations: 1/ Acceptable vintage for Champagne with DP over-delivering, 2/ Laville Haut Brion is a masterpiece among the whites, 3/ Bordeaux is going strong at 40 years of age with stand-outs Latour and Margaux. 4/ No need to chase any Napa’s from the vintage, 5/ off-piste Italians kept up impressively with Soldera an undisputed medalist.

    Tasting note:
    Double-decanted. Intense nose of tobacco, malt and caramel, well-defined dark cherry fruit. Nicely structured, light palate with more tobacco, albeit slightly thin and no longer able to perfectly balance the tannin. In this direct comparison, LMHB came in a notch better.

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  • Burgundy Al wrote: 86 points

    November 24, 2023 - Friendsgiving Dinner (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Walkaround tasting. A wine that has never thrilled me, this lived up to that standard.

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  • sirpat00 wrote: 94 points

    November 20, 2023 - Bordeaux 1983 vs 1993 face-off: 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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  • rocknroller wrote: 93 points

    October 19, 2023 - Judgement of Eagan (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Slow-O for 2.5 hrs. Drank a glass over 90 minutes. Classic dried earth notes, scorched earth, orange peel, cigar, tobacco, medium bodied and elegant, Burg-like in style and structure at this point; grainy tannins, plenty of dark fruits yet, tart cherry, blood orange, firmish tannins, leather and wood notes. Very good, got better with air, but not as impressive as another recent bottle. Vastly different but the nod goes to the '97 Insignia. Group vote 5-3 for Insignia. 92+ to 93pts.

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  • WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 96 points

    October 19, 2023 - Cracking the whip; 10/16/2023-10/23/2023 (Eagan, MN): N: Tertiary, fermented notes, light leather with some mushrooms, and rotting bark on wet earth.

    P: Dark but elegant red fruits, still going strong! Wooden pencil shavings, crushed savory minerals, and awesome wet forest floor. The fruits and tertiary notes work together like a double helix, such a thing of beauty. Not once does the tertiary notes become too much (thank goodness).

    I gotta admit, I might be an Haut-Brion fan boy. Kinda surprised this delivered so much better than the Insignia for me. There’s a nuance and intensity I really enjoyed about this. Great complexity with such class.

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  • I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 points

    October 19, 2023 - Judgement of Eagan Wine Tasting (Jason's House): Slo-O for about 2.5 hours....This was pitted against a 1997 Insignia. This was the best red flight of the night for my palate and featured two outstanding wines that finished a nose apart in a photo-finish, as far as the group was concerned, with the Insignia barely edging this wine out! Of course, for my palate, the Insignia was the clear winner! Still, this wine was a joy to drink, and how often do you get to drink an outstanding 40 year old First Growth Bordeaux!?

    Nuts and bolts: The nose was slightly floral and perfumed (purple flowers) with earth, leather spice, cedar and tobacco. On the palate, this was classic Haut Brion showing plenty of gravelly notes, earth, leather, sweet tobacco and, of course, an equal amount of dark and red fruit! Haut Brion is always fun and pleasurable to drink! 94+ to 95 for me!

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