2009 Marquis d’Alesme

[AlexR]

I enjoyed a 2009 Château Marquis d’Alesme at lunch today with lamb chops.

There are 10 third growths in Margaux, and my familiarity with some of them is pretty hazy. Such is the case for Marquis d’Alesme. This wine used to sell at very low prices and does not have a stellar reputation, so I thought it might be ready to drink at age 13 – and wasn’t looking forward to anything especially inspiring.
In fact, the wine was better than expected, and also has not yet reached its peak (give it another 5 to 10 years).
The color was really quite deep and the nose was very Médoc (blackcurrant, graphite), but not very Margaux...

You could feel the 14° alcohol, and the wine was thick and rich on the palate, however ending with tannins that need to soften. The wine’s basic structure will allow it to age harmoniously.
The Perrodo family also own Château Labégoce in Soussans (AOC Margaux) and the label for Marquis d’Alesme says “Société Civile Château Labégorce, propriétaires à Margaux”. This leads to the neverending mystery of where the wine actually comes from, since nothing legally prevents any vineyards in the Margaux appellation (5 different communes) from being blended to produce a great growth wine…
That is to say that the 1855 classification is outside the appellatoin contrôlée system.

Marquis d’Alesme has 15 hectares of vines. Labégorce has 70.

In any event, I hear that efforts are being made to give Marquis d'Alesme more luster and perhaps we will hear more about this wine in coming years.

Best regards,
Alex R.

[AKR]

Hardly ever see that stateside.

[Claudius2]

Alex
I bought the 2016 in EP and it is the only vintage I have ever purchased. The importer added that it has improved over the years so I just hope that he is correct. I’ll leave it in the storage unit for some time.

Overall I do think that many of the Margaux 3rd growths have historically underperformed as have a few seconds though there does seem to be a lot of steady improvement over the years.

Cheers
Mark

[Ognik]

Any thoughts on 2019 MdA?