1996 Labegorce Zede
Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:41 am
Every once in while you catch a wine at just the right time, and that happened to Lucie and me tonight. Lucie cooked baked chicken and ratatouille for dinner. It has been a while since we drank a Margaux, so I went back to the wine room, intending to open an '06 Malescot, but thought, "I know this wine is still too young and I don't have time to give it enough air, so I'll look for something else". I noticed that we still had a couple of bottles of the '96 L-Z and decided to pop one.
Wow! Previous '96 L-Zs have been good if rather brawny for a Margaux, but this bottle was really singing. The fruit was vibrant, the balance was just right, and the Margauxberries had blossomed. Moreover, the flavors stuck to your tongue long after swallowing. It easily deserves a 92 rating, and Lucie at first blurted out "96" before reflecting on other wines she had rated 96 and reluctantly backtracked to 94. To be honest, I cannot claim that her rating is too high for the bottle we drank tonight.
Wow! Previous '96 L-Zs have been good if rather brawny for a Margaux, but this bottle was really singing. The fruit was vibrant, the balance was just right, and the Margauxberries had blossomed. Moreover, the flavors stuck to your tongue long after swallowing. It easily deserves a 92 rating, and Lucie at first blurted out "96" before reflecting on other wines she had rated 96 and reluctantly backtracked to 94. To be honest, I cannot claim that her rating is too high for the bottle we drank tonight.