A wine for New Year's Eve

A delightful and fully resolved bottle of Mouton with the accent on elegance rather than raw power. The nose is also less exuberant than other vintages of Mouton with red berries, woodsy notes and hints of cedar, mint and tobacco. On the palate it is medium bodied, suave, elegant and complex, and the tannins are fully resolved. The mid-palate is deceptively rich and powerful but the emphasis is much more on elegance. This wine has developed some musty church pew, and old leather armchair notes, which suggests to me that it is approaching the end of its drinking window. Like many other 1983 clarets this will not make old bones. But it is wonderful now, and a rare opportunity to drink a fully resolved Mouton.