Subject: chateauneuf du pape - domaine de Cabrières - 1983
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 07:47:44 -0500
From: H en M Mols-Vanden Eynden <herman.mols@pandora.be>
To: Rick McNees <rick@mcnees.org>

H en M Mols-Vanden Eynden wrote: 

Dear sir,

I own some bottles of "chateauneuf du pape - domaine de Cabrières - 1983".Are these bottles still "drinkable"? and if so, what is the value of these bottles?

Many greetings, Herman MolsBelgium 

Rick's Reply - Thanks for your email.. Its nice to hear from a fellow aficionado. I checked two reference books Wines of the Rhone, Robert Parker, and Ultimate Guide to Buying Wine - sixth edition from Wine Spectator. Neither had information that was useful...(except that Parker said the 83 was acceptable but not exciting at the time...) My own opinion is that they should still be drinkable but should be consumed soon. I would guess that they are at or near their 'end of life' and will not improve with age, rather they will start to deteriorate if they have not already done so. My guess is that they were at their 'prime' perhaps five years ago.... All of this presumes that they have been stored properly in a cool place with moderate humidity. Since you are not from a hot dry climate, storage is probably less of a problem... consistent storage is important. A sign of deterioration will be if you see a slight brown ridge around the edge of the glass... or what appears to be a separation of the color at the edge with a slight edge of clear around the wine... And of course any lack of clarity in the wine will indicate some slight contamination
at which case it may be gone. 

A key to improper storage will be if the 'fill level' is low...some evaporate of a 1983 might be acceptable but the level of the wine in the neck of the bottle should not be more than 1/3 inch to 1/2- one to two cm's I think in metric... say no more than the width of two pencils at most. Then when you open the bottle, the cork should still be moist, soft, and no signs of seepage along the edges... 

Regarding the value of these wines... today this wine would sell here in the US for about $30usd. It probably sold for perhaps  $10 usd when it was released. Pricing in wine is not always logical or rational. These will
have some value being 'aged' if they are in good to excellent condition in all respects (including
label and capsule condition.). But their value will also be slightly diminished by their near end of life state... I would say they would sell for $35 to $45 if they are prime and pristine.. if not so, they could be worth $20... even less if
the negative conditions I mentioned earlier exist. 

I visited this producer when in CDP last year.. you probably saw this page and found me from your search... if not check out https://mcnees.org/mainpages/wine/rhone/cabrieres.htm. Is this how you found me? . I hope this helps... enjoy. Drink it soon. Cheers! 

H en M Mols-Vanden Eynden wrote: 

Dear sir,I own some bottles of "chateauneuf du pape - domaine de Cabrières - 1983".Are these bottles still "drinkable"? and if so, what is the value of these bottles?Many
greetings, Herman MolsBelgium