Birth Year Wines for 40th - 1983

WINE TALK
1

I will be turning 40 in January, so I plan to celebrate with some birth year wines with friends/family at a nice local restaurant.

The problem is that I don’t have all that many and would love some suggestions of wines that may still be drinking well (or at least decently) and won’t be crazy expensive (maybe nothing over $600/bottle?).

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

1983 Dunn Howell Mountain Cab
1983 Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des Heritiers
1983 Chateau Monbrison (low expectations)
1983 Dow Port
1983 Smith Woodhouse Port

Now, I know that Chateau Margaux and Chateau Palmer were both supposed to be terrific in 1983, and while I might go that route, I was looking for creative alternatives.

Any ideas?

Thank you all in advance!

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1983 d’Yquem is great

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Pretty good vintage in the Northern Rhone, maybe you could find some reasonably priced Hermitage or Cote-Rotie…

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I haven’t had 1983 Lynch Bages in over 10 years, but it was really good

If you could find it in magnum with good provenance – or any high quality wine for that matter – that could be one way to go.

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5

If you can get it from a good source, an 83 Beaucastel would be a perfect wine to open

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I would look to California or Bordeaux. Decent vintages, wines made in volume and still widely available. Have a look at Winebid - many options.

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Europeanwineresource has 1983 Beaucastel and Mouton

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83 Gruaud Larose is very good and not silly pricing. I would take a chance on 83 Sauternes as well. As mentioned Yquem is excellent but it’s a very good vintage in general and they often show up at reasonable prices.

I don’t see Chasse-Spleen available now but we had a fantastic bottle a few years back.

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I would search Cellartracker, that gives you a great idea about the best wines. Here’s the top list from 1983 on CT (just ratings of the last 5 years considered):

  1. Rayas
  2. Penfolds Grange
  3. Guigal La Mouline
  4. Rousseau CSJ
  5. Vieux Chateau Certan
  6. Margaux
  7. Tenuta Greppo Brunello
  8. Cheval Blanc
  9. DRC Echezeaux
  10. Palmer
  11. DRC La Tache
  12. Unico
  13. Gentaz-Dervieux Cote Brune
  14. La Mission
  15. Lafleur
  16. Roumier Bonnes Mares
  17. Guigal Hermitage
  18. Latour
  19. Trotanoy
  20. Vieux Telegraph La Crau
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I’ve had a number of nice red burgundy from 1983, but careful selection is required — many domaines that are now making great wines were making middling wines then.

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1983 was strong in Margaux and Pomerol, good in St.Julien, Graves and partially Pauillac:
Ch. Margaux, Palmer, Cantemerle, Brane-Cantenac, d’Issan, Rausan-Segla, Lafleur, L’ Evangile, Trotanoy, Cheval blanc, La Mission-HB …
It was very good in the Northern Rhone, Guigal all Cote-Roties and the Hermitage, also Rostaing, Gentaz-Dervieux, Dervieux-Thaize, Chapoutier Sizeranne, Jasmin, Cornas Clape, Hermitage Chave, Sorrel and Vallouit, but Jaboulet La Chapelle is very variable (!) …
Chateauneud dP: Rayas, Pegau, Beaucastel, Fortia, Vieux Telegraph, Clos des Papes, Bosquet des Papes , Bonneau Celestins, Mont-Olivet, Les Cailloux … and more …

Burgundy is very mixed … and most are hard to find, DRC did not really well in 83, expensive but not great … Dujac CStDenis was fine, Roumier BM, Jean Gros Richebourg, RSV Cathiard(-Moulinier), Grands-Echezeaux Clos Frantin, Chambertin Rousseau, Bouree, Clos de Beze Damoy, Ruchottes Mugneret, Mazis Tortochot, Clos Vougeot Mugneret, Jean Gros, Maison Leroy, Engel, de Tour … and several 1er Crus like D’Angerville Champans …

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I had a good 83 Cantemerle from a half bottle about 2 years ago. I would imagine a well stored 750 would be hummin’ along at this point.

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Haut brion is great

14

Had a 750 last year, it’s definitely hummin

15

This!

Fu has mentioned that the 83 Chave is excellent.

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1983 La Mission Haut Brion was great when I had it about 10 years ago, and it even felt like it could use more time at that point. I’d bet it’s in the zone now, and well within your price range. I don’t have a lot of experience with '83s, so I can’t compare this with other suggestions, but I would be a buyer if this were my birth year.

17

I can remember '83 like yesterday. A train wreck year on the north coast. We had about three separate rain events starting in late August that caused devastating bunch rot on many varieties. That was after an unusually cool summer, where we saw active rot even before the rains. This was one of the first years where removing leaves in the fruiting zone became a thing. I know many properties that lost up to 60% of their crops.

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Rauzan Segla was lovely a few years ago
All the Drouhin Burgundies I’ve had (other than 1 or 2 clearly heat damaged bottles) have been really good.
I haven’t had Chave Hermitage in about 20 years but it was great (and about $45 at auction) back then.

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It is, but I don’t think it meets the price goal any more. Same with most of those wines on the CT list. The Guigal Hermitage is a good one if a bottle can be found.

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Not to mention the “touch of rot” many of the wines suffered in 1983 -