Margaux the Magificent - but not always
Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 4:53 pm
These notes are from one of the tastings conducted by the immodestly but accurately named "The Great Wine Seminar." http://www.thegreatwineseminar.com/ which is held each year in the Miami (South Florida) area. As you can see by the listings of previous events on their web site, the wines are tyically high end and deep in verticals, going back decades in many instances. French wines are emphasized, but there can by presentations of the most interesting wines of Italy, Germany, Portugal or Madeira, for example. Typically, the wine maker or owner is in attendance to present their wares and the moderator for the weekend is a well know winn internationally well known wine critic, such as Clive Coates, Serena Sutcliff or Robert Parker. This year, we had the pleasure of having Allen Meadows (The Burghound) give us his comments, which of course were especially insightful regarding the Burgundy theme tastings.
As is often the case, all the wines were purchased directly from the Domaine or Chateau and flown over to America in ideal conditions about three months before the event, where they are stored meticulously by Arlette and Bob Cataldo, the organizers. Pours are a generous 1.5 ounces per wine and there is sometimes enough to go back for a second sample.
We started off very well indeed with Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier, the wine maker, gave us excellent details about the conditions for each vintage, both during the growing season and the vinification. Those BWEers who participated in the Bordeaux trip in May 2005 will of course never forget the experience of visiting as well as dining at Chateau Margaux and the passion and endless depth of knowlege imparted by M. Pontallier.
First, a couple of the whites:
2006 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée (4/24/2009)
Very pale yellow with a tinge of green. Marvellous delicate aroma of sauvignon blanc in the Bordeaux style. Became more frangrant and more elegant with air. High alcohol at 15+% but ther's no hint of heat or over ripeness. Lots of glycerine and long legs. Light to medium weight, modest length, but strictly one-dimensional at this early stage, and not much acidic spine. The '05 was more impressive at age three, but this might improve in the short term. (88 pts.)
1993 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée (4/24/2009)
M. Pontallier chose this example of Pavillon Blance to show us how well it can age, but I was not convinced, at least by this vintage. Surprisingly, hardly more pigmented than the '06, not even butter yellow. Very strong aroma of resin, which I find off-putting. (I grimaced instinctively when I put my nose in the glass.) Powerful but oxidative in style - not for me. Perhaps others would like it better. M. Pontalier seemed enthusiastic. (78 pts.)
Then, one Pavillon Rouge:
2006 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Medium light color, transparent. Delightful easy aromas of strawberry and Maraschino cherry. Light, delicate, short and fully ready to drink now. A fun wine but it seems more like Burgundy than Bordeaux. (82 pts.)
Then, the parade of grands vins:
2006 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Obviously a distinct step up in intensity from the Pavillon. Unusually for the Chateau, this is 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% merlot since the CS ripened the best in 2006. Good color, but not impenetrable. Smells and tastes like a mixture of red and black cherries. Very rounded tannins; soft, clean and very approachable, but not very impressive for a First Growth in a decent vintage. (84 pts.)
2004 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The color seems unusually evolved for a 5 year old child. The flavors now are trending more towards blackberry than cherry but the palate is not as good as the nose and there is a herbaceous streak. Could this be under ripe? But a second glass poured about 30 minutes later was better, so maybe this just needs more air time than we were able to give it. (80 pts.)
2003 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The rim is becoming pale and although it seems viscous in the glass, the wine is fairly dull on the nose and leans more to hard or tough dried fruit such as cranberry. Mouth-coating viscosity, very dense, but lacks all sense of freshness and Margaux typicity. A second pour exhibited a hint of varnish. The super-hot summer seems to have left its imprint on the wine. I can't see this developing positively over the years but I hope I am wrong. (81 pts.)
2002 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2006)
Now this is more like it. Good mouth feel, pure, sensual and pleasant, although clearly not great. Successful for the vintage. (86 pts.)
2001 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Not much happening on the nose and perhaps the tannins are a bit under-ripe. The color is mature, the rim is fully orange. Medium weight and modestly pleasant. But nothing to suggest this is Chateau Margaux. (83 pts.)
2000 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Finally, a stupendous example of Chateau Margaux and the wine of the night. Stunningly beautiful in all its glory. Massive, yet not chewy because the tannins are completely buried underneath the vibrant weight of all sorts of soft red and black fruits. Totally round; immense power allied with equally immense fruit. Lush as the greens at Augusta National. It's so pleasurable right now in its youthful exuberance I would have difficulty keeping my hands off it if I owned any. Those BWE members who tasted this wine at the Chateau in May 2005 will remember it well and it has advanced only slightly since then. (98 pts.)
1999 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The 1999 vintage in Bordeaux will always be hidden in the giant shadow cast by the year 2000. Yet, as this wine demonstrates, there's much pleasure to be had. Surprisingly, the color was as dark as the '00 and had the same ability to stain the glass purple. On the palate, it was a scaled-down version of the 2000, which is no small compliment given the masterpiece that is 2000 Margaux. Nicely balanced, very good density of fruit with enough structure to stay the course for a while yet. (89 pts.)
1998 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The right bank gets all the glory in 1998 Bordeaux, but the left bank produced many successes as well, and not only in Pessac-Leognan. Chateau Margaux has produced an excellent wine with the fruit all in the black spectrum - blackberries, blackcurrant, dark raspberries. It's firm on both nose and palate but far from rigid and it should develop extremely well over the next decade or two. For now, it lacks only complexity, but that will come in due course. (91 pts.)
1996 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Excellent wine. Although still very young, it is mature enough to give off that sexy, sweet yet slightly reserved character of a fine Chateau Margaux. The most complex of the vertical so far (beginning with the '06), there's a wealth of bluebery, blackberry, cassis and a wallop of black licorice as well. The tannins are still prominent so patience is required. There's not the density and concentration of the very best vintages even though it is a clear winner. Better to let it sleep another decade (or two). (90 pts.)
1995 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The contrast between this '95 and the '96 was extreme - surely this was a off bottle. Fairly unpleasant nose of mineral water and rhubarb and the color is far more advanced than the one year difference in age would suggest. There's good density on the palate but ultimately it falls flat. (79 pts.)
1990 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
This should have been one of the very highest peaks of the Chateau Margaux vertical (2006 back to 1959) and although it was excellent, it seemed like someone mislabelled the '90 as the '59 (which eventually proved to be the more vigorous of the two). Shy bouquet but there's that mysteriously lovely Margauxberry perfume. Very soft, though, a middleweight at most and the color is mahogany even right in the center. Since all these bottles were ex-Chateau a few months ago, we could not blame the provenance. On the positive side, the wine was harmonious, rounded and ultimately delicious, with the fruit, tannin and acidity totally integrated. If I were not expecting so very much I would have been completely satisfied. The Merlot in 1990 was only "so-so" according to M. Pontallier. (91 pts.)
1989 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
I was especially eager to taste this somewhat controversial vintage, at least for Chateau Margaux and a few others. The raw materials in the very hot vintage would seem to sufficient to make something very special, yet many wine critics believe only Haut Brion hot a home rum among the Firsts that year. Yet this was very, very good if not truly great. The color was advanced for a 20 year old, about the same as the '90; i.e., garnet/orange. But the nose was distinctly different; higher toned, more about flowers than fruits (? geranium). Warm and rounded on the attack and mid-palate but not enough drive to make it all the way to the back of the palate. Excellent for sure, but slightly underfruited and not really exciting in the context of what Chateau Margaux can achieve at its best. (90 pts.)
1986 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
An undeniable success. Not as backward as some of the other great left bank Bordeaux from this this very firm vintage, such as Mouton or Leoville-las-Cases, although it will surely continue to improve and gain complexity. Much deeper color than the '90 and '89 we had right before it. Outstanding depth of fruit, concentrated essence of blackcurrants, more intense than complex. The only negative was a very faint hint of acetone. Clearly built for the long haul, yet it's not too soon to enjoy it (a lot) now. According to M. Pontallier, the tannins were not totally ripe in 1989. (94 pts.)
1983 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Now we began the always fascinating comparison of the excellent '83/'82 duo. Both were true to form. This '83 is a wonderful wine in a "cool" style, Very Cabernet Sauvignon in flavor although I do not know the exact blend. Beautifully ripe, supremely elegant, completely mature. A backlash of perfectly ripe black fruit assaults the back of the palate seemingly giving the taster two hits of wine for each swallow. Fabulous and compelling. (94 pts.)
1982 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Whether you prefer the '83 Margaux or the '82 Margaux is more about individual preference that quality, assuming you get perfect bottles of each, as we did this day. The '82 is warmer, broader, oakier and bigger. Next to the supremely elegant '83, the '82 seems ever so slightly coarse, but it makes up for that with the sheer drama of its size and flair. Like the '83, this '82 is perfectly mature now and should last for a very long time. (93 pts.)
1959 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Absolutely stunning, almost shocking, in its liveliness and incredible brown sugar/molasses flavor. This is what you hope to find in a 50 year old wine, but rarely do. The medium garnet color with no hint of rust or brown let you know this bottle had been perfectly preserved, which of course it was, since it was recently ex-chateau. Long legs in the glass, lots of glycerine, perhaps relatively high in alcohol, yet no sense of heat. Deep into its secondary phase, it's not about the "fruit" any more; rather there's an endless panoply of flavors in cedar, wet bark, black dirt and sugar range. Fabulous texture, thick as light cream. It glides gently down the back of the throat seemingly without any effort to swallow it. What a thrill. (A second bottle was very good, but not nearly as etherial.) (97 pts.)
~stuart
As is often the case, all the wines were purchased directly from the Domaine or Chateau and flown over to America in ideal conditions about three months before the event, where they are stored meticulously by Arlette and Bob Cataldo, the organizers. Pours are a generous 1.5 ounces per wine and there is sometimes enough to go back for a second sample.
We started off very well indeed with Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier, the wine maker, gave us excellent details about the conditions for each vintage, both during the growing season and the vinification. Those BWEers who participated in the Bordeaux trip in May 2005 will of course never forget the experience of visiting as well as dining at Chateau Margaux and the passion and endless depth of knowlege imparted by M. Pontallier.
First, a couple of the whites:
2006 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée (4/24/2009)
Very pale yellow with a tinge of green. Marvellous delicate aroma of sauvignon blanc in the Bordeaux style. Became more frangrant and more elegant with air. High alcohol at 15+% but ther's no hint of heat or over ripeness. Lots of glycerine and long legs. Light to medium weight, modest length, but strictly one-dimensional at this early stage, and not much acidic spine. The '05 was more impressive at age three, but this might improve in the short term. (88 pts.)
1993 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée (4/24/2009)
M. Pontallier chose this example of Pavillon Blance to show us how well it can age, but I was not convinced, at least by this vintage. Surprisingly, hardly more pigmented than the '06, not even butter yellow. Very strong aroma of resin, which I find off-putting. (I grimaced instinctively when I put my nose in the glass.) Powerful but oxidative in style - not for me. Perhaps others would like it better. M. Pontalier seemed enthusiastic. (78 pts.)
Then, one Pavillon Rouge:
2006 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Medium light color, transparent. Delightful easy aromas of strawberry and Maraschino cherry. Light, delicate, short and fully ready to drink now. A fun wine but it seems more like Burgundy than Bordeaux. (82 pts.)
Then, the parade of grands vins:
2006 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Obviously a distinct step up in intensity from the Pavillon. Unusually for the Chateau, this is 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% merlot since the CS ripened the best in 2006. Good color, but not impenetrable. Smells and tastes like a mixture of red and black cherries. Very rounded tannins; soft, clean and very approachable, but not very impressive for a First Growth in a decent vintage. (84 pts.)
2004 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The color seems unusually evolved for a 5 year old child. The flavors now are trending more towards blackberry than cherry but the palate is not as good as the nose and there is a herbaceous streak. Could this be under ripe? But a second glass poured about 30 minutes later was better, so maybe this just needs more air time than we were able to give it. (80 pts.)
2003 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The rim is becoming pale and although it seems viscous in the glass, the wine is fairly dull on the nose and leans more to hard or tough dried fruit such as cranberry. Mouth-coating viscosity, very dense, but lacks all sense of freshness and Margaux typicity. A second pour exhibited a hint of varnish. The super-hot summer seems to have left its imprint on the wine. I can't see this developing positively over the years but I hope I am wrong. (81 pts.)
2002 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2006)
Now this is more like it. Good mouth feel, pure, sensual and pleasant, although clearly not great. Successful for the vintage. (86 pts.)
2001 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Not much happening on the nose and perhaps the tannins are a bit under-ripe. The color is mature, the rim is fully orange. Medium weight and modestly pleasant. But nothing to suggest this is Chateau Margaux. (83 pts.)
2000 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Finally, a stupendous example of Chateau Margaux and the wine of the night. Stunningly beautiful in all its glory. Massive, yet not chewy because the tannins are completely buried underneath the vibrant weight of all sorts of soft red and black fruits. Totally round; immense power allied with equally immense fruit. Lush as the greens at Augusta National. It's so pleasurable right now in its youthful exuberance I would have difficulty keeping my hands off it if I owned any. Those BWE members who tasted this wine at the Chateau in May 2005 will remember it well and it has advanced only slightly since then. (98 pts.)
1999 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The 1999 vintage in Bordeaux will always be hidden in the giant shadow cast by the year 2000. Yet, as this wine demonstrates, there's much pleasure to be had. Surprisingly, the color was as dark as the '00 and had the same ability to stain the glass purple. On the palate, it was a scaled-down version of the 2000, which is no small compliment given the masterpiece that is 2000 Margaux. Nicely balanced, very good density of fruit with enough structure to stay the course for a while yet. (89 pts.)
1998 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The right bank gets all the glory in 1998 Bordeaux, but the left bank produced many successes as well, and not only in Pessac-Leognan. Chateau Margaux has produced an excellent wine with the fruit all in the black spectrum - blackberries, blackcurrant, dark raspberries. It's firm on both nose and palate but far from rigid and it should develop extremely well over the next decade or two. For now, it lacks only complexity, but that will come in due course. (91 pts.)
1996 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Excellent wine. Although still very young, it is mature enough to give off that sexy, sweet yet slightly reserved character of a fine Chateau Margaux. The most complex of the vertical so far (beginning with the '06), there's a wealth of bluebery, blackberry, cassis and a wallop of black licorice as well. The tannins are still prominent so patience is required. There's not the density and concentration of the very best vintages even though it is a clear winner. Better to let it sleep another decade (or two). (90 pts.)
1995 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
The contrast between this '95 and the '96 was extreme - surely this was a off bottle. Fairly unpleasant nose of mineral water and rhubarb and the color is far more advanced than the one year difference in age would suggest. There's good density on the palate but ultimately it falls flat. (79 pts.)
1990 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
This should have been one of the very highest peaks of the Chateau Margaux vertical (2006 back to 1959) and although it was excellent, it seemed like someone mislabelled the '90 as the '59 (which eventually proved to be the more vigorous of the two). Shy bouquet but there's that mysteriously lovely Margauxberry perfume. Very soft, though, a middleweight at most and the color is mahogany even right in the center. Since all these bottles were ex-Chateau a few months ago, we could not blame the provenance. On the positive side, the wine was harmonious, rounded and ultimately delicious, with the fruit, tannin and acidity totally integrated. If I were not expecting so very much I would have been completely satisfied. The Merlot in 1990 was only "so-so" according to M. Pontallier. (91 pts.)
1989 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
I was especially eager to taste this somewhat controversial vintage, at least for Chateau Margaux and a few others. The raw materials in the very hot vintage would seem to sufficient to make something very special, yet many wine critics believe only Haut Brion hot a home rum among the Firsts that year. Yet this was very, very good if not truly great. The color was advanced for a 20 year old, about the same as the '90; i.e., garnet/orange. But the nose was distinctly different; higher toned, more about flowers than fruits (? geranium). Warm and rounded on the attack and mid-palate but not enough drive to make it all the way to the back of the palate. Excellent for sure, but slightly underfruited and not really exciting in the context of what Chateau Margaux can achieve at its best. (90 pts.)
1986 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
An undeniable success. Not as backward as some of the other great left bank Bordeaux from this this very firm vintage, such as Mouton or Leoville-las-Cases, although it will surely continue to improve and gain complexity. Much deeper color than the '90 and '89 we had right before it. Outstanding depth of fruit, concentrated essence of blackcurrants, more intense than complex. The only negative was a very faint hint of acetone. Clearly built for the long haul, yet it's not too soon to enjoy it (a lot) now. According to M. Pontallier, the tannins were not totally ripe in 1989. (94 pts.)
1983 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Now we began the always fascinating comparison of the excellent '83/'82 duo. Both were true to form. This '83 is a wonderful wine in a "cool" style, Very Cabernet Sauvignon in flavor although I do not know the exact blend. Beautifully ripe, supremely elegant, completely mature. A backlash of perfectly ripe black fruit assaults the back of the palate seemingly giving the taster two hits of wine for each swallow. Fabulous and compelling. (94 pts.)
1982 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Whether you prefer the '83 Margaux or the '82 Margaux is more about individual preference that quality, assuming you get perfect bottles of each, as we did this day. The '82 is warmer, broader, oakier and bigger. Next to the supremely elegant '83, the '82 seems ever so slightly coarse, but it makes up for that with the sheer drama of its size and flair. Like the '83, this '82 is perfectly mature now and should last for a very long time. (93 pts.)
1959 Château Margaux - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (4/24/2009)
Absolutely stunning, almost shocking, in its liveliness and incredible brown sugar/molasses flavor. This is what you hope to find in a 50 year old wine, but rarely do. The medium garnet color with no hint of rust or brown let you know this bottle had been perfectly preserved, which of course it was, since it was recently ex-chateau. Long legs in the glass, lots of glycerine, perhaps relatively high in alcohol, yet no sense of heat. Deep into its secondary phase, it's not about the "fruit" any more; rather there's an endless panoply of flavors in cedar, wet bark, black dirt and sugar range. Fabulous texture, thick as light cream. It glides gently down the back of the throat seemingly without any effort to swallow it. What a thrill. (A second bottle was very good, but not nearly as etherial.) (97 pts.)
~stuart