Scoring 19 points on the Dionysian Scale of a possible 20, the 1983 Chateau Mouton Rothschild has 11.5% alcohol and could still be aged for another decade. It cost $60 back then, while the newer 2009 and 2010 will cost over $500 a bottle. Absurd!

This wine, first ranked as the top of the Second Growths in the 1855 Bordeaux -Classification, is the only estate to ever be elevated to First Growth ranking back in 1974. I was filled with cassis aromas, cedar and rich tobacco. It had softened and felt like silk across your tongue.

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As rich and smooth as any red wine I’ve ever drunk. Classier than the famous 1982 vintage which was over-extracted and too jammy.

Served with a basic cheeseburger, the wine was the featured item for a simple Monday night meal at home. Its aftertaste lingered. Surprisingly, it had very little sediment when decanted. It’s starting to get a brick edge at 32 years old, but still holding it ruby color.

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A bread-less cheeseburger with Jersey tomato, string beans and a dark salad permitted the Bordeaux to be the point of interest as well it should be.