If you are looking for a 1983, Margaux is the commune to look in. While the rest of the Médoc had a merely good year, the vineyards around Margaux and Cantenac caught the summer heat and escaped the worst of the September rain, and the 1983s made there are still spoken of as the finest wines of the vintage in Bordeaux.
Boyd-Cantenac is a third growth of 1855 and one of the smallest, around seventeen hectares held by the Guillemet family for generations. The style is old-fashioned in the best sense: high in Cabernet Sauvignon, firm, scented with violets and cedar, made in modest quantity and rarely seen outside France.
The fill on this bottle is still into the neck after forty-three years, which is as good as an old claret gets. For a 1983 gift it is a great deal of wine for the outlay.
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Producer: Château Boyd-Cantenac
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Vintage: 1983
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Appellation: Margaux AOC
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Format: 75cl
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Region: Bordeaux, France
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Style: Red
Where it is likely to be now. Margaux 1983s from good estates are the survivors of the vintage and this one should still be holding, though as a pre-1990 bottle it is sold without a guarantee of drinkability.
Who it suits. For a forty-third birthday where the recipient does know their Bordeaux, since a Margaux classified growth from the commune's own great year is a detail they will notice.
Condition. The label is very slightly bin-soiled, meaning a little dust and marking from years on a cellar shelf, and the wine still fills the bottle right up into the neck, the best level an old claret can show.
Provenance. Bought to order from a professional European merchant. We check fill, label and capsule when the bottle reaches us and photograph it before it ships.
Delivered in 7 to 10 working days, tracked. Transit cover can be added at checkout.
Sold as a collectible item, as seen. No guarantee is given on drinkability.
