Going to start hunting for a few '83 bottles for my 40th next year. I’ve only had a couple '83 so far, and would be grateful for any recommendations.
Might spring for a first growth, but definitely interested in producers that might fly a little under the radar ('82 La Lagune was killer when I had it, '64 Haut-Batailley too, etc), as I often find them wonderful.
Also if anyone has particular Loire favorites from that vintage, would be grateful to hear those too.
Ditto on 1983 Margaux and Palmer. Gruaud Larose is still good if you like the Cordier “funk.” Pichon Lalance is/was very good, but depending on provenance may be on the back side of its maturity curve. Not sure about Lorie.
I am the self-declared patron saint of 83 Bordeaux and there are heaps of excellent 83s on both banks. The Margaux commune gets all the love but I like all the appellations in 83. The 83s are in a robust, blockier style than, say, the more elegant 85s but they’ve got deeper structure than the 85s and good depth of fruit. I think some 83s will last longer than their 85 counterparts, but both vintages are fully mature and have been for a while.
As others will note, provenance is key but here’s my list of 83 winners that are still drinking well (from my cellar*):
-Gruard Larose
-Leoville Poyferre
-LLC
-Talbot
-Pichon Lalande
-Lynch Bages (going strong, very underrated)
-Canon
-l’Arrosee (beautiful red fruit, Burgundian wine that is very delicate and tertiary at this stage)
-Cos d’Estournel
-Rausan Segla (awesome)
-Cantemerle (serious sleeper if you can find with goodvullage)
-Beychevelle (greener, aromatic style)
-VCC (pricey but inexpensive compared to other vintages)
-l’Evangile
-La Conseillante (lighter, crunchier style)
-La Tour Haut Brion
-Meyney (getting long in the tooth)
*I sourced mine all on the secondary market 10-12 years ago. After I tried a few and I loved, I went back and loaded up. These were quite cheap at the time.
Cheval Blanc, Palmer, Chateau Margaux and d’Yquem are the stars of 83 Bordeaux today. I find most of the other wines mentioned in this thread to be past their prime.
While you didn’t mention Rhône, while it is pricey, 83 Chave Hermitage is off the hook these days. I imagine 83 Jaboulet La Chapelle is good. 83 La Mouline is other worldly!!!
Had an ‘83 Suduiraut a week ago that was lovely. Still fresh as a daisy. An ‘83 Climens was over the hill, but much darker in color so may not have been representative.
Jonathan,
From an offline I had years ago, these are my notes from that night
Sparkling set us straight with the Cedric Bouchard La Parcelle followed by a 2001 Marc Colin Puligny Montracet Garenne. The white Burgundy was decent and pleasant but soon faded in the glass after only about 15 minutes or so. Next up was a Schramsburg Rose which was simple but nice.
Onto the 1983 Bordeaux reds, The Ch Le Gay, had a depressed cork and after comparing labels with the Trotanoy, I had a feeling that it was not going to hold up. The cork completely fell apart and even though it had a dark garnet color, it was acidic and fell apart soon thereafter.
The Lynch Bages was up next and had some nice fruit and great color with a medium finish that was nice. The Pichon Lalande entered the fray, and totally blew me away. It had the funk and green pepper nose with a nice medium to long finish, my WOTN. The Trotanoy followed which was just as stellar as the PL. Finally the Talbot was excellent as well.
I’m also ‘83. Lots to love about the vintage. In addition to others mentioned, JJ Prum ‘83s are really special. If you can find it and it’s a good bottle, ‘83 Verset can be breathtaking.
‘86 Margaux is the only first growth that I’ve ever sold. I guessed right a decade (or more) ago and sold all of my ‘86 Margaux and took my family on a great vacation with the proceeds.