1983 Grand Puy Lacoste
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Tasting notes
Fully mature and not going to get any better, yet a solid Pauillac, the 1983 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste has a ruby/plum hue with some solid amber at the rim as well as a woody, mature nose of darker fruits, smoked tobacco, old leather, and cedar pencil. Medium-bodied, reasonably well-balanced, and enjoyable, it's still hanging on and offers a satisfying, if uninspiring, drinking experience. Drink up.
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More reviews and scores
The 1983 Grand Puy Lacoste is showing some bricking on the rim now. Mellow on the nose with sous-bois , morels, warm gravel and just a touch of mint. This is fully mature. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a little hollow on the mid-palate with dry tannins, and slightly metallic, perhaps? A tertiary GPL that has retained freshness, but I would drink this sooner rather than later. Tasted at the château.
Fully mature, this medium to dark ruby-colored wine reveals an attractive spicy, blackcurrant aroma with the ever-present 1983 weediness making itself more apparent as the wine has evolved. Soft, round, with good rather than superb concentration, this low acid, alcoholic example of Grand-Puy-Lacoste possesses enough tannin to last for another 6-8 years. Last tasted, 5/93.
Extracted and slightly clumsy, with raisin, plum and tar character, full body and a bevy of tannins. Alcoholic finish. Perhaps better in a few years.--The Bordeaux 50. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 1994.
About the producer
In 1978 the Borie family took over Grand-Puy-Lacoste and Xavier Borie has been making exceptional wines here ever since. With 58 hectares of vines around the château, this is a wine with real Pauillac style.