1983 Margaux, Margaux

Serena Sutcliffe, MW: When you compare this with the 1982, opinions always differ. Certainly, this has gained in richness and roundness and is indubitably great wine, with chocolate, spices, orange and cassis on the nose and plums, damsons and orange skins on the palate. It really melts in the mouth and yet it is a powerhouse of a wine. In 2013, such plummy impact on the nose. You just sink into this. Fabulous and almost vanillin.

Representative blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc

Annual production: 29,000 cases of Grand Vin and Pavillon Rouge (the second label) and around 3000 cases of Pavillon Blanc, a 100% Sauvignon Blanc

One of the most hallowed names in wine, Margaux has an allure to it which has proved irresistible to drinkers for centuries. Sited on arguably the most perfect terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux, the sheer first growth nobility of the property comes across on the nose every time: a perfume of stunning complexity and beauty. The neo-classical building, perhaps the definitive image of Bordeaux to outsiders, also helps the cause. But ultimately, this is wine lovers` wine, exemplary year by year and just more beautiful with age. Under winemaker Paul Pontallier and the ownership of the Mentzelopoulos family since the late 1970s, the property has gone from strength to strength.