1983 Bonnes Mares

Served blind, this 1983 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru shows much better than the bottle poured at the vertical almost exactly one year ago. The nose sports a herbal lift initially, then evolves with surprisingly generous crushed strawberry and raspberry scents, to the point where I wondered whether it was a 1985! The palate is much more rounded and sensual, supple in the mouth with red plum, clove and tobacco, very harmonious in style with a persistent of not overly complex finish. It is a very fine Bonnes-Mares given the vintage based on this bottle. Tasted over dinner at Oswald's in London.

The 1983 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru is showing wide bricking on the rim. The nose is rather rustic, especially juxtaposed against the 1985 with undergrowth and Vervane tea aromas. The palate is medium-bodied and the tannins are finer than I expected, showing less sign of rot than other 1983 red Burgundy, just a light touch of liquorice on the slightly dry finish. It has lasted well but is dwarfed by subsequent vintages this decade. I would drink bottles up in the near future. Tasted at the Roumier vertical in London.

Roumier’s 1983 Bonnes-Mares, from a very challenging harvest, is gorgeous. Autumn leaves, sweet tobacco and dark fruit notes abound in a Burgundy that is mostly resolved today, but in a great place to deliver maximum pleasure. Well-stored bottles will keep for at least a few more years, although there is no upside from further cellaring.