CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC 1983 Stock: 1976 The last time we've tasted this wine was about a year ago and it was absolutely stupendous. Lately, the buzz on Robert Parker's bulletin board is that the 1983 has surpassed, or at the very least equaled, the 1982. Frankly, we've always though that it was a close call, but we firmly believe that the 1983 is today a superior wine. Having said that, we've put an inquiry to see if the chateau had any sitting in their cellars and, lo and behold, they've blessed us with seven beautiful cases. Opportunities to grab pristine, ex-chateau stock of such magnificent wine, do not arise very often and, when considering that vintages like 1982, 2000 and 2005 are considerably more expensive, this is extremely attractive "A classic example of Cheval Blanc's style, the 1983 continues to put on weight and develop favorably in the bottle. A saturated dark ruby color with some faint lightening at the edges exhibits less age than most right bank 1983s. The huge nose of mint, jammy black fruits, chocolate, and coffee is sensational, as well as surprisingly well-developed. The wine offers lusty, rich, unctuous fruit presented in a medium to full-bodied, low acid, concentrated, rather hedonistic style. There are no hard edges to be found, but there is plenty of tannin in the lush finish. Gorgeous for drinking now, this is a great Cheval Blanc that should continue to drink well, and possibly improve for another 20 years. The 1983 is far superior to anything Cheval Blanc has subsequently produced. It remains somewhat undervalued for its quality." 95 points R. Parker n/a