This is easily the best bottle of 1983 Figeac I have tasted. Served blind, it has an open, red berry, earthenware-tinged bouquet that reveals dark chocolate touches with time. Still very Left Bank in style. The palate has slightly gritty tannins, but there is a little more fruit than in other bottles. It's a little herbaceous towards the finish but with decent length, considering the vintage. This surpasses the ex-château bottle poured at the Berlin vertical. -- Neal Martin

The colour now shows considerable maturity, as does the nose. There are smoky, leathery aromas and some herbal notes, though there is no greenness. But secondary aromas definitely dominate, as they began to do a decade ago. Over the years this has lost some density, and now appears medium-bodied and delicate, a fresh and pretty wine with no great depth of flavour but it's still bright and perky. Fully ready, it lacks some drive and persistence. Recorked in 2016.

Fully mature this herb licorice smoky jammy berry-scented wine reveals smooth fruitcake-like flavors velvety tannin and low acidity. Some alcohol is noticeable in the atypically hot finish. The wine is at the end of its plateau of maturity and is best drunk over the next several years before the fruit fades and the alcohol becomes more noticeable. Anticipated maturity: Now. Last tasted 11/96.