TN Pichon Lalande 1981 and 1983 and misc wines

WINE TALK
1

Served at a restaurant last night.

Pichon Lalande 1981 has that herbal characteristic of that era, plus good fruit, and pleasant tertiary aromatics. A very nice wine at its apogee 91


At the Zachys auction; served from a double magnum.

Pichon Lalande 1983 is actually a much better wine, with far greater depth and concentration, and a really interesting melange of cedar leather and tobacco flavors. Beautiful breathy finish 94

Musar 1977
I really want to like this wine, it’s such a great story, but I find I cannot get past the volatility. It’s shrill and disjointed on the palate, but the fruit behind it is fresh and vibrant, and the wine is not showing its age. NS

Leflaive Clavaillons 2011
A lovely nose, with an interesting honeysuckle element. The palate is a little gloomy, and the wine lacks any great freshness, delineation and precision 86.

2

+1. Actually, I have given up wanting to like it. Any given bottle could be very fine, bretty, filled with VA, cooked, corked, green or flawed in any number of ways unique to Musar.

The 83 Pichon is a wine I’d like to find at a good price.

3

Thanks for the note. I’ve hoovered all the 83 PL’s in the cellar; I still have a few left of the 83 Pichon Baron…

Bruce

4

The 80s was a brilliant decade for Pichon-Lalande. Even the “off” vintages like '84 and '87 were gorgeous wines.

5

Back in the day (at $40 per), 1981 PL was a wine I consumed on a regular basis. The only PL from the 80s I still own in quantity is 89 which was very nice last time.

6

Always loved that 1983 Pichon Lalande. We drank a bottle a few years back up against a 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste, no comparison, the Pichon blew it out of the water…

7

Pichon Lalande is my favorite Bordeaux (that I can afford). So many terrific PLs through the years! Love the 1983.