1983 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline
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Tasting notes
Full dark red. Raspberry, coffee and a slightly musty note on the nose. Very sweet, dense and sappy, with complex flavors of red fruits, smoke, pepper and iron. A wine of superb vinosity and grip, finishing with firm but fine tannins and excellent length. But the slight suggestion of old wood carries through the wine. This wine seemed clean during the late '80s, but I suspect that the element of rot that characterizes most Cote-Roties from this humid harvest is making itself felt now. Still, the wine possesses compelling sweetness and great strength of material.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Still backward, but beginning to throw considerable sediment and reveal some amber at the edge, this wine reveals a distinctive, violet, cassis, bacon fat aroma intermixed with smoked duck and Asian spice components. Extremely full-bodied and sturdy, with noticeable tannin, this husky, powerful, concentrated La Mouline is less seductive than many vintages. In fact, in 1983, it behaves more like La Landonne. It can be drunk, but ideally it requires another 4-5 years of cellaring. Many 1983s have proven less exciting than initial predictions because of the refusal of the harsh tannins to melt away, but the tannin is clearly falling away in the 1983 La Mouline. There is still a wealth of fruit remaining. Anticipated maturity: now-2020. Last tasted 6/96.
Very very deep colour. Very gloriously complete. Bonfire smell, spicy, exotic, complete. Absolutely no drop in the middle palate. Dangerously volatile. Dances rather than sings. (JR)