February 19, 2024 - Wine of the vintage?
February 3, 2024 - Bought as futures. Stored at 55F. Brought to dinner at NY steak restaurant. Waiter nearly lost the cork but managed to screen out wet bits away from the decanter. Moderate sediment at bottom of bottle. Amazing this one still has minimal bricking. Aromatic with muted tobacco notes. Minimal yet sufficient tannins balanced nicely with darkish fruit notes and held up well with fatty steak. This one is still in the perfect drinking zone which, honestly, you could probably still say so in 10 years. BTW, the case cost me $350 back in 1984!
January 25, 2024 - A bit darker than the '95 (even though this is a '83); minerals, iron, silky smooth, balanced, meaty, complex, I thought this was very young and youthful! (guessed 2000). Was this really a 1983? My 2nd fav of the night, 4th fav overall.
January 22, 2024 - Après une bouteille bouchonnée en 11-2023,voici la réconciliation avec cette quille.La robe reste opaque malgré les 40 ans sonnés...Bouquet phénoménal d'intensité et de complexité où la majesté du cabernet sauvignon règne en maître: cassis,cèdre,menthol,chêne,épices,mine de crayon,toute la panopli est bien présente c'est fabuleux !!!!
La bouche a des airs d'une adolescente de 15 ans certes les tanins sont fondus mais c'est d'une puissance à nulle autre pareille,sans aucune faille et on perçoit une suavité magnifique,une quintessence du cépage majoritaire.Ce vin peut encore tenir plusieurs décennies...Seul bémol:le bouchon fortement imbibé,extrait avec un Durand of course.I l faut absolument le remplacer pour augurer des meilleurs auspices pour les 40 ans à venir.J'allais oublier:longueur impressionnante de plus de 25 secondes....83 a engendré des merveilles dans l'appellation Margaux je me souviens de crus bourgeois étincelants en 2003....Il m'en reste encore....
January 17, 2024 - Now is the time. Drinking perfectly. After four decades, still has beautiful color with NO bricking. Big, vibrant nose of mushrooms, underbrush, lavender and hints of dark fruit. Fantastic acidity in perfect harmony and balance with silky tannins. Near perfect.
January 4, 2024 - 83 is not an exceptional vintage but for what they did here at Margaux, it’s worthy of a standing ovation. Opulently perfumed and dense nose, bursting full of dried and fresh roses, but not out of control. There is a ton of nuance here in the form of tobacco, peppers, rose water, leather, cherry fruit and ripe strawberries. The wine is full bodied, with silky resolved tannin. Not a mega blockbuster like the 86 but is so darn complex and full of minerality. Suave finish. While this is pretty much drinking at peak right now, it will probably remain in this state for quite a while still.
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 was the best, most open 1983 Margaux I’ve had to date. Medium expressive dark fruit, earthy minerality on the nose. Screams elegance. On the palate this is more intense and more open. There are layers and layers of fine ripe dark and still some red fruit notes. Lots of esrthy notes and crushed rocks, some herbs and smoke notes. This is so elegant, light and airy, almost Pinot-esque in its stature and still with lots of intensity. While it is drinking wonderfully today, this can continue to improve for a few more years and more tertiary aromas coming forward and adding further to the complexity. 95/96pts
Decanting: Quick double decant to remove the sediment 5-6 hours prior to consumption, which seemed perfect for the wine.
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: On the nose, it's rather muted, revealing only subtle hints of minerality and ash, with faint dark fruit in the background. The palate is more impressive, showcasing fresh dark red fruit, cola, and minty notes. It has a fine structure, marked by good freshness and balance. Over time, it blossoms into a more expressive, round, and satin-like profile, centered around a superb, intense fruit core. While the nose remains somewhat simple, the palate is delightful. Scores 93/94pts, surpassing the 88pts of the 1993 in the next glass. The palate alone could merit 95/96pts. A second, properly decanted bottle a few days later got 96pts, confirming that the 1983 Margaux needs substantial air to fully express its qualities.
December 7, 2023 - Holiday Dinner - Mostly Bordeaux (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Beautiful floral nose displaying perfectly ripe red fruit with a hint of black, cherry, strawberry, a hint of cassis, lead pencil, rose, sweet spices and mineral. Excellent concentration, layers upon layers of delicious red and black fruit, exceptional balance, precision and detail, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, very fine tannins and a long generous red fruit driven finish with a hint of rose and lead pencil at the end. My wine of the flight, really floral and almost Burgundian.
November 25, 2023 - 40 years on: A global 1983 retrospective: Winter spices, elegant, purple fruit, good but somehow this just didn't really hit the balance and remaind a bit bulky