WTN: 1983 Beaucastel

[David M. Bueker]

Served blind at a tasting last night. I was stunned at how sweet the fruit in this wine remains at age 27. The tannins are resolved, and there's not a whole lot of brett/funk (at least in this bottle), just seamless fruit and earth that glides across the palate as if silk was woven into teflon. It was a textural experience that I will not soon forget.

I had this blind a couple years ago, guessed Barbaresco. Agree re the sweet fruit, I liked it though maybe a bit less than you:
7th wine
Red and sweet, a little tea, tar, and earth. I'm actually quite surprised when it's revealed- 1983 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. B/B+

[David M. Bueker]

Several folks mentioned tea last night. I didn't get that, but right now I am not shocked at that.

Awesome! I'm jealous. I had the wine just about 3 years ago to the date and it was pretty darned good but not fabulous. The guys I was drinking it with had just had another bottle a few weeks earlier and let me know straight away that it was not nearly as good as their previous experience. Sounds like you hit a very good bottle!

A few of us drank the 1981 quite recently, and THAT is a wine that shows the full Beaucastel funk flag, oh boy!

-Michael