TN for '83 SaintPierre St. Julien

Ewan,

I do not have any of the '83, nor do I have any TNs for that vintage, however, I do have two around it, both tasted within the last six months:

"1986 - decanted at dinner. There was a bit of brick in the purple now, and the edge of the meniscus was amber. The nose was much more pronounced cedar, though the dark fruits still came through. The mineral aspects seemed to have evolved into a tough of earth, and were not as clear as the more minerally aspects of the younger wines. This bottle was starting to fade a bit, I think, but the mouth feel was still smooth. The finish was a bit longer than either the '00, or the '96, but the fruit had begun to really fall back. The tannins had smoothed out quite a bit. RP gave this one a 90 in October '92, and again, I'd put it in the 87-88 range.

1978 - decanted at dinner. Now the brick was starting to show. Though the wine was still purple, it was noticeably lighter than any of the others with a light brown meniscus. Earth, cedar, some black berry fruit, and a bit of oak (or was that just more cedar) were on the nose. The cedar, and earth, plus a bit of leather, along with tiny intimations of fruit existed on the palette. The mouth feel was much lighter, and the tannins were all but gone. RP awarded this one 83 in October '92. I think that this rating was very close. While smooth and enjoyable, there just wasn't enough left of it."

Not direct help, but as the '86 was fading some, it might help you with the decision on the '83 - then again, it might not.

Hunt