1983 Chateau Magdelaine 1x75cl

Robert Parker – 90

The 1983 Magdelaine is an intriguing Saint Emilion. It has a generous, quite outgoing bouquet with ripe red cherry fruit, wilted violets and perhaps just a touch of volatility. The palate is fleshy and ripe, more like a 1985 in style, sweet in the mouth with kirsch and even marmalade; there is a touch of heat towards the unruly finish, but still fresh in the mouth and holding up strongly in the glass over a couple of hours. It is a great success for the vintage and on this showing, it has several more years of drinking pleasure to give. Don’t overlook this little gem. Tasted April 2016. [28/09/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026

Vinous – 92

(90% merlot and 10% cabernet franc; 3.35 pH; 13.1 % alcohol): Bright red with a garnet rim. Intensely perfumed nose offers hints of strawberry jam, cinnamon, bay leaf, minerals and incense. Very suave, dense and juicy, with rich ripe red cherry, truffle and tar flavors. Finishes rich, round, pure and very long. Although some past bottles I’ve had of this wine have been prematurely evolved, this one was still youthful, with plenty of harmonious acidity extending the flavors on the peppery finish. This also struck me as being a rather cabernet franc-dominated example of Magdelaine. The 1983 vintage is remembered for a large crop (but not by the standards of the late’80s), with 3.2 million hectoliters of Bordeaux produced. The harvest took place between September 13 and October 1 in hot conditions (with afternoon temperatures routinely around 27°C), and though this was less warm than 1982 (when temperatures of 32°C were reached), the high temperatures lasted longer in 1983. [Ian D’Agata, 03/01/2012]