The local wine group decided to get together to sample a few vintages of Château Margaux with some age on them. We included examples back to 1981, probably the oldest vintage that could show well, based on prior unhappy experiences with ones from the seventies, sixties and fifties. Unfortunately the host, who was to bring the 1986, was quarantined by the Omicron monster.
A mature Chablis was the perfect palate cleanser to accompany the tasty seafood appetizers.
- 2002 Verget Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Peter R.’s bottle. Astoundingly fresh at age 20 and thrillingly devoid of oxidation. Medium yellow. A touch of oyster shell but not really austere. Light-medium weight, slightly soft. Delightful. With a bit more acidity it would gain even more in freshness. No end in sight for this Premier Cru. (92 pts.)
- 1981 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Hugh’s bottle. He wisely decided to select it as our introduction to the Margaux mini-vertical. It performs exactly as you would expect, a softer, gentler, less concentrated Margaux. Perhaps surprisingly, there is absolutely no sign of fatigue on the palate and no brown or amber in the color. Soft tannins, good acidity, modest length. A mini-Margaux indeed and nothing out of place. (90 pts.)
- 2000 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Hugh’s bottle. This is coming along nicely as was easy to predict even when in its infancy. Very juicy, fruity, bright and exuberant. The oak has settled down somewhat so it’s a bit less glossy. Tannins are rounded, acidity is fine. Pretty fragrance. No harm in drinking now and easily the group favorite this night. Could peak in just 3-5 more years and probably will drink best for a decade, but not decades, beyond. (92 pts.)
- 1988 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Gary’s bottle. I was pleasantly surprised by the showing of this unheralded vintage of Margaux. Very deep color, even darker than the ‘00. The bouquet is quite distinctive, featuring a lot more charcoal and tar than usual layered above the dense black current fruit. As it sat in the glass, it unfolded and relaxed so the firm tannins became more approachable. There’s a lot of life here and it seemed the most youthful of the examples from the eighties on this night. Not a crowd favorite but to me the most intriguing wine of the night. (92 pts.)
- 1990 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Quite lovely and my Wine of the Night of the mini-vertical of Margaux - but I was the only one to select it as such. Medium garnet color, considerably lighter than the ‘88 and about the same as the ‘82. Nicely fragrant. Noteworthy balance. Integrated tannins. Framed more by the acidity than the tannins. A suave middleweight and no evidence of the torrid summer. Clearly fully mature and no reason to age any further. (93 pts.)
- 1983 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Peter R.’s bottle. Obviously corked immediately to everyone else but it took me a couple of sips to agree. NR (flawed)
- 1982 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
A nice example of the famously variable ‘82 Margaux yet somehow it doesn’t thrill. The fruit is slightly muddy and the typical Margaux fragrance is in there but lacks freshness. The tannins are not coarse but far from silky. Not tired exactly but other bottles are better. Perhaps storage prior to my acquisition is the culprit. (92 pts.)
