1983 Clos des Lambrays

In April 1992, the 1983 Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru won the dubious distinction of receiving one of the very worst scores in the history of The Wine Advocate. Twenty-six years later, the wine is still clinging onto life, displaying a muddled bouquet of orange rind, dried fruit and decaying undergrowth that's clearly marked by the rot that affected many wines in this challenging vintage. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, open-knit, chewy and tangy, without much flesh to cover its chalky structural bones. It's a relic of a decade that marks a low point in the Clos des Lambrays's history.