1983 Bordeaux Tasting



A local wine shop, Hopkinton Wine & Spirits, runs wine tastings which are great for expanding the palate and opening the eyes. In October 2000 they ran a tasting of 1983 Bordeaux which was quite spectacular. With a 1999 Domaine La Moussiere Sancerre as a palate cleanser, we went through four of the greats, comparing our notes against what Robert Parker wrote about them back in 1990. If you're ever in Central Massachusetts, swing by to a tasting! You never know what might be poured.

The Wine Spectator Website has this to say about Bordeaux vintages of this timeframe:

  • 1986 95 Powerful, intense and tannic; best in Médoc Hold
  • 1985 93 Balanced, supple and fruity; defines finesse Drink or hold
  • 1984 70 Unripe, astringent and dry; most fading Drink
  • 1983 86 Rich and ripe in fruit and tannins; some overly tannic Drink
  • 1982 95 Intense ripe fruit and generous in style; plenty of round tannins. St.-Julien and St.-Emilion stand out Drink or hold


1983 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases, $109


Ten years ago, Parker rated this a top wine of the vintage, saying it might last ten years. We found it a medium brick red color, tannic, juicy, with flavors of lead pencil, currant, and raspberry. It was very silky and well balanced. We felt it could still go another 5 or more years before it truly hit its peak.

1983 Chateau Pichon-Longueville, $162


My personal favorite, Parker extolled its nose of Asian spices and its gobs of fruit flavors. We all commented on its "typical to Pichon gym socks initial aroma." Apparently every Pichon tasted exudes this for some reason. We made guesses as to its cause - from yeast to underground piping. In the end, though, the wine was silky smooth, slightly tannic, with spices, plum, and flowery aromas and flavors. It was the most immediately drinkable of the four.

1983 Ducru Beaucaillou St. Julien, $94


Parker commented that the wine would peak in 1-2 more years. We found that it STILL needed far more aging - even though it'd been opened over an hour before tasting, it was extremely closed and dusty. We let it sit for another hour and found it began to open a bit, but the fire on the nose and palate was still evident, as was the lack of fruit. There was a bit of currant and lead pencil, but truly, this is a wine good for the cellar.

1983 Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac, $219


The final wine in the tasting had a great quote from Parker - it 'has come out of its dumb, monolithic stage.' This lead to jokes about it now entering its Doric or Corinthian stage, perhaps now tasting of Corinthian Leather. It had a very chalky, cedar-rich flavor with tannins and fruity flavor. By this point we were going back and forth between the wines, and I still had the Pichon as my favorite

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