Did the 1983 vintage produce great wines?

Is 1983 a year close to your heart? Is it a year of birth, a year of marriage or some other symbol that makes you want to offer or drink a wine from that year? Let us decipher this vintage for you, to help you buy the bottle that best suits your needs.

> Our 1983 wines in stock!

 

• Vintage 1983 in BORDEAUX

1983 was a surprising vintage. In Bordeaux, as elsewhere in France, the 1983 vintage was very promising. August was a very special month, with its extreme heat and humidity. If we go back in time a few months, June had a very good flowering, which guaranteed an abundant harvest. July was very hot, probably one of the hottest on record. Then August turned everything upside down. It was hot, rainy and very humid. All these climatic parameters led to the development of mildew in the vineyards. After several weeks of complicated, rainy weather, many winemakers began to wonder about the quality of the vintage. It was one of those disastrous vintages. As always, Mother Nature is about to change the story. September will be very dry and very hot, with no rain. The same goes for October, which will allow the later-harvested grapes to reach optimum ripeness. The vineyards have been quite successful. Already, the wines of MargauxThanks to their well-draining soils, they were less affected by the heavy August rains and had less catching up to do. The other great success was for the wines of Saint-Emilion. The Merlot grapes reach perfect ripeness, giving the wine a lovely concentration. Then, for the rest of the appellations, quality varies from property to property. On Pauillac, Mouton Rothschild 1983 or Lafite Rothschild are fantastic, as are Haut-Brion 1983 on Pessac Léognan or even Léoville Poyferré at Saint-Julien. As for white wines, Pessac-Léognan are interesting, but no longer drinkable these days. On the other hand, sweet white wines such as Sauternes are wonderful. The end of October, hot and dry, will allow botrytis to develop. 

If you'd like to taste Bordeaux wines from the 1983 vintage, we've got some nuggets for you. 

Château Yquem 1983 in Sauternes, rated 98/100, these are the perfect grapes to go into the cellars. The wine is interesting nowadays, with notes of sweet spices and crushed stewed fruit. 

For reds, Château La Croix de Gay 1983 is an exception to the rule. It's not a great vintage in Pomerol, except for a few properties with a different terroir. The Château is one of them. Interesting aromas of truffle and undergrowth. 

To test a wine from the best appellation, we have bottles of Margaux, Château de la Tour de Mons 1983. A little finer and lighter than previous wines, it will be softer and rounder, with tertiary aromas. 

 

• Vintage 1983 in BOURGOGNE

Blessed is the person who doesn't have to write about the 1983 vintage! It's a relatively simple vintage to describe from a climatic point of view, but so complicated from an organoleptic point of view. 

As in Bordeaux, the month of June went well, with fine weather, which enabled high-quality flowering. Unfortunately, hail hit in July, and the vineyards suffered heavy losses, resulting in low production at the end of the season. Then the heat combined with the hail favored the development of rot and disease. As in Bordeaux, rain and hot weather in August accentuated the difficulties. September and October will help the grapes to reach full maturity. So, yes, the Pinots and Chardonnays will manage to obtain the sugar levels they need to produce quality juice, but all the climatic worries experienced previously will make the task harder for the winegrowers. When a grape suffers climatic attacks, it tends to develop a thicker skin to protect itself. But this time, the skins have developed with the mildew (rot). The winemaker therefore has to balance the time the juice spends with the skins, in order to obtain a nice tannic substance, without leaving them in contact for too long, at the risk of giving them a musty taste. Their job is therefore a very complicated one in the 1983 vintage, and many a winemaker is going to have his work cut out for him. 

We still have a 1983 Bourgogne. A Gevrey Chambertin by Maison Guillard. The latter is admittedly rather late in its life, but could be enjoyed with aged cheeses or poultry with mushrooms.  

 

• Vintage 1983 in VALLÉE DU RHÔNE

Wines in the Rhône Valley are going to be hit hard by the same climatic worries as in Bordeaux and Burgundy. The blazing sun is going to hit the vines, and winemakers are going to find it hard to produce balanced wines. Too much sun and too much sugar will lead to a lack of acidity, which will be detrimental to the aging of the wines. With all these difficulties, some owners will nonetheless fare well thanks to their soils, which will restore the water stored over the last few months to avoid drought. For the southern part of the region, and especially the wines from Châteauneuf du PapeAugust and its tropical climate will generate run-off on Grenache, a very important grape variety in the blending of Châteauneuf du Pape. Without this grape variety, winemakers were at a loss as to "how to blend" their wines. As for the bottles that fared best, they quickly evolved to reach their peak. Our latest Châteauneuf du Pape reference may arouse your curiosity with its concentrated color, amber highlights and cold tobacco aromas. 

 

• Vintage 1983 in the REST OF FRANCE

France is set for record summer heat, with a very wet end to August. 

In the Loire rot is not going to help Cabernet Franc achieve good quality. On the other hand, chenins, like Sauternes in Bordeaux, will have a superb month of October to produce delicious wines. If there's one vineyard other than the three main ones in the 1983 vintage, it's the Alsace wines. The 1983 vintage is simply magnificent. The Rieslings from the best terroirs are going to produce very long-keeping wines, with an impeccable balance between acidity, taste and body on the palate.