Chateau Patache d'Aux Medoc Cru Bourgeois, 1983

Robert Parker says that Patache d'Aux is a wine that should  be consumed between ages 5 and 8. That's probably because he has never bothered to try it after extended aging. For my taste, the wine was okay in its youth but gives a whole new level of enjoyment at full maturity. Like most Bordeaux from 1982 and 1983, it has aged beautifully.

Patache d'Aux is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, and that is the lush black fruit quality that Parker apparently prefers. The rest of the cuvee is 30% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, and all of these have blended nicely after 30-some years in the bottle. I get well defined Merlot and Cab Franc smells and flavors--cherry, raspberry and red fruit. Donna smells more of the black currant and black fruit qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon, and those are certainly there, too, giving a firm underpinning, even in its old age. And the special fragrance of Petit Verdot. No need to deconstruct, though; it's all one integrated whole with the nuances that only advanced aging can provide. So smooth on the palate and so well defined. Parker compares Patache d'Aux to a Napa Cabernet, and that's what it was in its youth; tonight it is much, much more.