Chateau Petrus 1983

91 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Rather tough for Pétrus, with rich, meaty olive aromas. Full-bodied, with a tight but deep structure and ample tannins. Needs time.--Pétrus vertical. Best from 1995 through 1997.

90 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 1983 Petrus is a vintage I have only encountered a couple of times. This is unquestionably the best I have experienced, blind no less. The bouquet springs from the glass, autumn bonfire scents intertwined with black truffle and leather, more fruit than I remember on the previous bottle. Perhaps the palate just misses a little cohesion? Foursquare but fresh, this is a simple Petrus predestined to lie in the shadow of the previous vintage. Yet this punches above my expectations. Tasted blind at Olivier Bernard's "3" dinner at Domaine de Chevalier.

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 1983 Petrus is a vintage that I have only encountered on one or two occasions. It has an easygoing nose with leather and game, perhaps a little dustiness that detracts from its definition. It is not fatigued but you could say that the batteries are down to a single bar. The palate is balanced but rather angular, the tannins now having dried out somewhat and there is some bitterness evident on the finish. This is never going to be a great or arguably even a good Petrus. Drink soon. Tasted at the Petrus dinner at the Épure restaurant in Hong Kong.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Talk about a thrill a second, as well as unprecedented decadence (at least for me), consider the rarity of a flight of six double magnums of Petrus! Because there were not many people at the tasting, there was the possibility of having several large glasses of these wines, making judging them all the more fun. And let's not forget the medical benefit of flushing the fat out of one's arteries with such remarkable juice! The fully mature 1983 Petrus (even from double magnums) is a weedy, herbaceous, vegetal-scented wine with plenty of sweet, somewhat disjointed fruit flavors, medium to full body, and copious quantities of glycerin and alcohol that are not entirely balanced by fruit. It is just not as harmonious or well-balanced as it should be. Drink it over the next 5-10 years. I have never been especially enamored with this vintage of Petrus. The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series IV - Flight B of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Some may rate this wine higher, but I find it entirely too herbaceous to merit better marks. The medium to dark ruby color reveals noticeable amber at the edge. The cedary, herbal, spicy nose is of moderate intensity. Medium to full-bodied, with obvious ripeness and coarse tannins in the finish, this wine continues to taste rough-textured. I remain unconvinced that it possesses the requisite amount of fruit to balance out the tannins. Nevertheless, it should last for at least 15-20 more years. Last tasted, 7/93.