Ch. Margaux 1996

[Comte Flaneur]

My apologies to Art about the timing and content of this post

Chateau Margaux 1996

Working from home today in London with the French windows open on a bright, crisp, early spring day (as the clock struck 13), there was eerie, even surreal, peaceful silence on Upper Street, N1, but with the dystopian tranquillity intermittently pierced by the screech of ambulance sirens. News broke of the charlatan who had scammed us into Brexit had become victim of coronavirus. Then his health secretary and then potentially his chief medical officer. A few months ago you could hardly make it up.

I remember attending a tasting in the spring of 2001 at ‘Uvine’ on Piccadilly of four consecutive vintages of Medoc first growths from 1995 to 1998, 16 wines in all. The star of the show was Chateau Margaux 1996, the best young claret I had ever tasted, though the Lafite 1996 ran a very close second. I was so pleased to have a case of each, but sadly I later sold my cases of Lafites at silly prices in Hong Kong in 2011, for which I continue to feel a lingering regret. One buys these wines to drink, afterall.

I digress; I double decanted my first bottle from my case of Chateau Margaux tonight at 630pm, a bit late. It started off slowly but as it unfurls it expresses its wares, and delivers a masterclass of what is so special about top flight Bordeaux in general and the Margaux appellation in particular. Such poise and such perfect equilibrium it has an attack of pastille black fruit, cassis, lead pencil, tobacco, incense, lavender, violet, Margaux berries, rosemary & thyme, mineral and crushed rock; it is seamless with very bright acidity, and such precision as it unfurls and relentlessly gains in richness and layered intensity. It has the weightlessness and complexity only the truly great wines have, like the wines of Domaine De La Romanee Conti. Still holding a little back in reserve this will continue to gain in stature over 5-10 years, but it is more accessible than the Mouton and Latour 96s and compelling now.

[JimHow]

I have one bottle in my cellar, which I got in NH for like $180 back in the day.
Keeping in mind that I have other gems in my cellar, should I:

a) Uncork it when Nicola visits me this summer in Maine; or
b) Uncork it on my 75th birthday (14 years from now).

[Blanquito]

Wow. Sounds incredible.

My bro and I have one joint bottle of the 96 Margaux; based on this superlative note, I’d propose opening it now if he weren’t sequestered in nyc.

[Nicklasss]

I hate you for 2 reasons Comte:

1. English is your first language and your writting about that 1996 Chateau Margaux is too much delicious, that even me, i'm considering it a 3 michelin ☆.

2. 11 more bottles of 1996 Chateau Margaux.

Nic

P.S. sometime, (or all the time), i feel that i'm the complete train wreck of BWE. But i guess every place or board needs it Low (see D. Bowie cd cover) character.

[Comte Flaneur]

I promise Nic I will share one with you one day

[Racer Chris]

I so want to drink one of the 5 bottles of Ch. Margaux in my cellar, but can't decide which to open first.
Every time I read someone's new tasting note on CT, I want to pick that one. This week it was the '82, a week ago it was the '83.
What to do, what to do.

[stefan]

Buying those cases of 1996 FG was a great move, Ian. If at that time I had the financial resources I had a few weeks ago I also would have bought, not that I am unhappy with what I did buy from 1996 (La Lagune, Leoville-Barton, Sociando-Mallet,...).

[brodway]

Stefan

Drink up those 1996 Sociando Mallet's.....last couple i've opened were more than ready for business...don't see how it can get better

[stefan]

Thanks, Emil. I thought I had some left, but when I looked for one last week I could not find any.

[sdr]

I hate you for 2 reasons Comte:

1. English is your first language and your writting about that 1996 Chateau Margaux is too much delicious, that even me, i'm considering it a 3 michelin ☆.
Nic

English is my first language but I can’t write like that either. Chapeau.

Stu

[jal]

The star of the show was Chateau Margaux 1996, the best young claret I had ever tasted, though the Lafite 1996 ran a very close second. I was so pleased to have a case of each, but sadly I later sold my cases of Lafites at silly prices in Hong Kong in 2011, for which I continue to feel a lingering regret. One buys these wines to drink, afterall.

Buy it back!
In 2011 you probably received $1,100-$1,400 a bottle (I sold mine for $1,300 in March 2011)
You would not have drank much of it anyway so you saved yourself storage costs
You probably invested in something that increased a little in value
You can purchase with good provenance for the same price today.

BWE Devil on your shoulder! mwahahahaha

[Comte Flaneur]

Stop it Jacques!

Lafite does happen to be my favourite wine sadly.

I sold four cases in Hong Kong in February 2011: one each of 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. The total purchase price was around £4K, and I netted £47k.

So I have thought of buying some, but it is still a very expensive wine, and some of those proceeds did go to work buying other wines. I remember stefan famously quipped on this board that there is only one thing wrong with Lafite and that is the price. Maybe the coronavirus might push down prices.

I still have odd bottles knocking around including six 1989 from the same case that famously crushed it at our NYC 1989 tasting in 2009.

[jal]

I know Ian,
I'm not feeling particularly flush at the moment to be honest. I am spending only the 2k gift card that I bought at the beginning of last year to help my wine retailer friend.

[DavidG]

That note was as captivating as a great first growth. Thanks Ian.

[stefan]

I feel sorry for the ultra rich. Wine buying and selling must be so boring for them.

[jckba]

Great story and note but an even sweeter rate of return on that ‘timely’ Lafite sale.

[JimHow]

I never got an answer to my question, Nicola, so I'm going to hold off and drink my lone bottle on my 75th birthday instead of if Big Brother allows you to come through the border this summer, I'm sorry. It is Comte's fault. I'll find something else in my cellar, some fleshy St. Emilion or Fronsac....

[Nicklasss]

My answer I can give Jim, is that I'm fully confident that we'll have a great time when i go to Maine later in 2020. And i'm sure we'll also taste something good. But the best answer is you should open your 1996 Château Margaux while I'm there, and one day I'll compare it with a bottle from Comte and tell you in details which one was the best 1996 Château Margaux!

Nic

[stefan]

Jacques, think about how cheap Lafite is in comparison to the millions you lost in the stock market these last weeks. The real question is whether its price represents reasonable value in its equivalence class.

[DavidG]

Jacques, think about how cheap Lafite is in comparison to the millions you lost in the stock market these last weeks. The real question is whether its price represents reasonable value in its equivalence class.

Are you referring to the wine or the stocks?

[jal]

Jacques, think about how cheap Lafite is in comparison to the millions you lost in the stock market these last weeks

I guess I deserve that for being an ass with Ian. Apologies, this quarantine is getting to me.

A Zoom virtual tasting with friends can't come fast enough.

The real question is whether its price represents reasonable value in its equivalence class.

As for that, I really can't justify paying the price for Lafite or any 1st Growth, especially now.

[jckba]

The real question is whether its price represents reasonable value in its equivalence class.

As for that, I really can't justify paying the price for Lafite or any 1st Growth, especially now.

Personally, I never really have problems justifying a wine purchase but I probably would have some troubles paying for it once the bill comes

And when speaking of investment grade 1st growth wines, could the 2016 Mouton Rothschild be the most investable Bdx wine ever at that $600 +/- price point?

2016 Mouton Rothschild
(WA100)(NM100)(AG100)(JD100)(JS100)

[Racer Chris]

And when speaking of investment grade 1st growth wines, could the 2016 Mouton Rothschild be the most investable Bdx wine ever at that $600 +/- price point?

What was the price of '61 Latour in 1965?

[Blanquito]

And when speaking of investment grade 1st growth wines, could the 2016 Mouton Rothschild be the most investable Bdx wine ever at that $600 +/- price point?

What was the price of '61 Latour in 1965?

In real terms, I’d still wager the 61 was way cheaper in 1965 than where first growths are priced today.

[Tom In DC]

I remember seeing a "Plain Old Pearson's" price list from the mid-1960's. Most 61 firsts were $3, Lafite was $4, and Petrus was $6.

If those prices were actually from 1963, inflation on that $3 price would be $25.36.

[stefan]

in 1970 I bought 1967 Haut-Brion for $8 and 1964 Haut-Brion for $10. These were the first FGs I purchased. Other FG Bordeaux were more expensive. I am surprised that 1961 Lafite could be bought for $4 in the mid-1960's. From the very beginning 1961 was considered a great vintage. 1967 was considered below average and 1964 mixed with the best not being up to the level of 1961.

[jckba]

Cmon guys, without a time machine, talking about prices from half a century ago has no bearing with pricing today and I obviously meant in today’s terms. If all the other firsts are trading for the same or more, with 5 100 point scores that seems like a pretty unanimous candidate to park your money into.

[Racer Chris]

Edit: I couldn't help it.

[Nicklasss]

The 1993 FG were 89 $cad here (or 65 $usd). 1994 FG at 110 $cad. 1995 FG at 150 $cad.

To compare, at the same time, a 1990 Montrachet from Joseph Drouhin was 299 $cad, the 1985 Chambertin from Drouhin at 179 $cad and a 1993 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes from Méo-Camuzet was 73 $cad.

Nic

[Racer Chris]

Well, regardless of what it cost on release, the 1985 Ch. Margaux we just drank with my wife's birthday filet mignon was among the best wines I've had.
But from Ian's description of the 1996, the '85 is a short distance behind. "Weightlessness and complexity" fully apply though.

[DavidG]

That’s great that it showed so well and at the right time.