Andrew Cullimore

9.0

No formal notes . Medium deep ruby . This seems a bit more advanced . This is a bit harder and more structured on the palate , more tannin , less velvety and a bit more astringent . More spicy , drier on the palate . This needed more time to open . This was quite difficult to judge , I wasn’t 100% convinced about this bottle as it just seemed a little oxidative, however it did actually seemed to come together better after an hour or so , but still quite hard and astringent in comparison to the others (especially La Mission) . Showed a touch more mineral and grafite on the finish too after a while. This needed time , and I would imagine another bottle might tell a different story . — 21 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Deep Ruby red color with aromas of red and black fruits with oak and tobacco spice, blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc. On the palate flavors of black raspberry, currants and black cherry with licorice, toasty oak and tobacco. Fine lush tannins, long finish ending with fruit, oak and earthy tobacco spice. Needs more time to develop! — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Poured into a decanter about 30min prior to service and enjoyed over the course of several hours. This bottle of the 1985 was more recently acquired from the chateau and in pristine condition. The wine pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium visit with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated dark and red fruits: black currants, mixed brambles, tobacco, pencil shavings, some dried purple flowers, some green bell pepper, mushrooms, leather, some ferrous earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly savory. Elegant and beautiful this was such a fun and rewarding wine to follow as the hours rolled by. A very strong showing at 40 years young and not slowing down soon. Drink now through 2040. — 12 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

No formal notes . Slightly lighter than the others , but still ruby , touch of garnet at the rim. Spicer and rounder red and dark fruits . Finer and more mineral more elegant on the palate . Quite elegant . Refined and elegant , mineral , good balance and acidity . This came across as lighter than the others , though with no lack of definition . Mineral , grafite tinged finish . Showing well this is probably going to have a slightly shorter life than the others , but is great for medium term drinking , over next 5-10 years perhaps . — 21 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Flight 2 , wine 2 . This was again quite deep with a slightly marked terracotta rim . Quite closed and difficult to read at first , touch of coffee and herbal hints , some sous bois . This needed time to unfurl a bit and showed well over all . On the palate this had dark fruits and a mineral , grafite , tobacco edge , quite elegant and still showing well . Slightly dry compact tannins , but good balance and length . I had this down as the Talbot 82 … but alas I was wrong again .. at least got the vintage . — 5 hours ago

Vino Joe

9.3

Ran through the prior bottle but needed a little (375mL) something for the post game celebration. Nice showing here. Young but flinty rich and decent length. Dark fruit. Fly Eagles Fly!!! — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2003 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with powerful notes of ripe and slightly desiccated black and red fruits: cassis, mixed brambles, dark cherry, pipe tobacco, purple flowers, leather, graphite, some earth and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly savory. This is/was a rather unique vintage through Europe and yet, this is showing extremely well. Drink now with a brief decant and through 2038. — 11 days ago

Shay A

9.3

(Two previous 1983 vintage wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from CT).

My experiences with 1983s has been fairly positive, and this PL certainly is among the better I’ve had from the vintage. Holding color nicely with deep ruby and slight bricking around the rim. Started off a bit dense and muddled, but hit stride about 30mins later with a mix of red and black berry fruit, cassis, a streak of herbal green down the middle (something I always get with PL). Excellent example of the fruit showing lots of flavor without being overly ripe. Leather, sweet pipe tobacco, graphite, and still some vibrancy at the finish with tannin structure. Clean and elegant at this stage. Showed well over the course of two hours. Drink up and enjoy. — 4 days ago

Shay A

9.3

(Two previous 1983 wine reviews never made it on here, so copying from my CT).

Continuing a run of ‘83s over the last 3-6 months, this not only showed quite well, but it was at its best after almost two hours in the bottle. Whereas the ‘83 Pichon was clean and elegant, this was a bit more dense and powerful. Beautifully expressive aromatics of potpourri, espresso, fig and leather with a flavor profile mostly on the red/black fruit side of the spectrum. The mid-palate showed good weight and continued to bulk-up during the evening. Old cherry-tobacco note at the finish. Honestly, this drank like it was more early ‘90s than it was early ‘80s. Good. — 4 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Blend of 60% Cab Sauv, 35% Merlot, 3% Cab Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, deep Ruby with aromas of dark fruits, floral and spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry, currant and blueberry fruit with cigar box, cinnamon and floral notes. Lively acidity, elegant fine tannins, well balanced, long finish ending with slight earthy notes, plenty of depth, good now and will continue to develop. — 5 days ago