Chateau Margaux				1983	Margaux

10/95. Bought in auction July-95 for $85 (imported from Chicago for $92 net).
We opened this bottle tonight (together with the wonderful '83 Roumier Bonnes Mares for which I have posted notes in the past) in honor of forumite Michael Gat who came for a visit.
The Margaux accompanied the main course (roast beef in wild herbs together with dauphinee potatoes and eggplant & red-peppers ragu) of a four course dinner prepared by Dorit.
COLOR: Very dark opaque red. Almost jet black!
NOSE: Exquisite bouquet of flowers and fruits. No 'cedar', 'tobacco' or 'pencil lead'. Deep, enticing superb perfume that takes no getting-used-to.
TASTE: In concert with the looks and smell, the taste was smooth rich velvet. Very concentrated yet delicate. Very soft tannins and not too much acidity. A pleasure to sip and a great accompaniment to the rich though not too dominant roast.
LENGTH: Medium-long warm and cosy aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full texture but medium body. Plenty of fruit and flesh but not a huge structure. Acidity and tannins in good balance with the alcohol, but maybe not enough for long ageing (As my own experience with Bordeaux aging potential is nil, I base my guess on general principles. You should take this prediction with a lot of salt).
OVERALL: An extraordinary wine. 'Velvet' 'Beautiful' and 'Cosy' are the key words here. The best Bordeaux in my limited experience (probably even better than the fantastic '78 Ausone). Perfect now and for the next few years at least.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.