This has a beautiful nose that has lush blackberry, purple perfume, lead pencil, and forest floor. Classic violets are present. Don’t have much experience with ‘99 Bordeaux, but this is quite impressive. On the palate this is round and balanced. Silky tannin. Quite a pleasant surprise.
Classic claret, plenty of blackberry stuffing, but missing the surprising aromatic expression of the ‘99 in the first glass. Certainly opulent. A little punchier than the ‘99 and slightly syrupy on the palate.
At first there was something slightly metallic that is masking this nose. Required a bit of coaxing to get dark florals and damp earthy nuance. Blossoming into a more perfumed and opulent nose. Now youthful blackberry fruit. On the palate this is rich dark berry flavours, but the tannins are very dry and a little tough. Solid, but not impressively expressive or moving tonight. Came back to this at the end of the night and it’s a pretty classic Margaux with the pretty perfume you hope for. My last ‘88 was finicky as well.
[Magnum] Nose is showing tertiary development with pine and some green vegetal aromas over dark red fruit and leather. There’s actually a big waft of black truffles on this. Palate is more classic with a dose of blackberry fruit and some bouldery minerality. Drying cranberry. Nose has many details while the palate is classic but unyielding. Reminiscent of a '79 Haut-Brion from Magnum somewhat recently in terms of spice.
Not getting a good read in any direction. — Blown off and now showing a more straightforward modern Bordeaux. Big blueberry fruit. Monolithic although there are details of you really look. Whereas the '03 is just overripe and scorched this isn't much of anything.
Elegant nose that has violet flowers and perfume, blackberry, and wet stone. Blackberry fruit. Some pleasant mocha here. Certainly more complete than ‘03 and ‘02 and pretty close to the ‘00, which was spectacular. On the palate this is dense and rich with deep black and blue flavour. Nicely textured tannin, balanced. Solid.
Big projection off of this nose: florals, violets, bouldery minerality, and blackberry perfume. Expansive and beautiful. Peppermint in dark chocolate. On the palate this is a gear above any of the younger vintages thus far in the vertical with beautiful blueberry fruit and silky tannin. Well endowed with robust berry fruit with staying power to the flavours and a persisting finish. Palate outperforms the bouquet, which is also great, substantially. Lives up to the high expectations of ‘00 Bordeaux. Very impressive indeed.
Intense bouquet that has pen ink and violet florals. Graphite. Classic Margaux blue fruit and perfume nose. On the palate this has a medley of red, black, and blue berry fruit, nice punch but still well balanced. Great now and have to think this will keep adding nuance and texture for a long while. A consistent classic I always enjoy, and always find it outperforms the '95 side-by-side.
Nose is comparable to that on the ‘96 with blue and blackberry fruits and violet floras. Prefer the ‘96 as it has greater projection and expression, as has been the case every time I've tested the two side-by-side. Palate has all the same red, black, and blue berry fruits as that on the ‘96, just a touch tighter and tougher, although not an inelegant wine by any stretch. Bigger tannin too. Supple, but never seems to match the integration and balance of the ‘96 for me.
Gorgeous nose, big projection, ripe blue and red berry fruit with elegant floral perfume. Very pretty. Beautiful palate as well, soft, integrated, plenty of ripe red berry fruit with with texture and a silky structure. Harmonious and delicious. Very impressed with this tonight, very pleasurable drinking. Truly an ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ type wine. Tied for wine of the night along with the '85, given that the '82 was heat damaged or something beyond recognition.
Although this nose is entirely pleasant, relative to the ‘90 in the next glass this has underripe blackberry and cranberry fruit and is showing tight. Darker fruit with a tertiary cigar edge. Would hope for more opulence and brightness out of this, but instead its more of a dark soily greenness tonight.
This is a pretty nose, probably most comparable to the ‘95 so far with big blue and black berry fruit. Violet florals showing up too. Nice blueberry perfume. Palate is focused and structured with a lot of fruit power in the background yet to fully develop. Sweet and not totally in balance with angular tannin. Blocky overall but still enjoyable, particularly the perfume.
This is more in the style of the ‘90 with an opulence and ripeness to the red and black berry fruit on the nose. Also some damp soil and smoke in this one. Aromatically nuanced. On the palate this has sweet mocha in the blueberry fruit. Blackberry tannin. Given that the ‘82 is NFG this ‘85 is stealing the flight and probably slightly edges out the '90 for wine of the night given the greater complexity and terroir influence in addition to the fruit. Very happy with this.
Mocha and blueberry fruit on the nose. Savoury but chocolatey. Chocolate covered cherries. Expressive. This palate is delicious with ripe red berry fruit and savoury character. Fun but imagine you’d better drink this now.
1999 Château Margaux 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This has a beautiful nose that has lush blackberry, purple perfume, lead pencil, and forest floor. Classic violets are present. Don’t have much experience with ‘99 Bordeaux, but this is quite impressive. On the palate this is round and balanced. Silky tannin. Quite a pleasant surprise.
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1998 Château Margaux 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Classic claret, plenty of blackberry stuffing, but missing the surprising aromatic expression of the ‘99 in the first glass. Certainly opulent. A little punchier than the ‘99 and slightly syrupy on the palate.
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1988 Château Margaux 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
At first there was something slightly metallic that is masking this nose. Required a bit of coaxing to get dark florals and damp earthy nuance. Blossoming into a more perfumed and opulent nose. Now youthful blackberry fruit. On the palate this is rich dark berry flavours, but the tannins are very dry and a little tough. Solid, but not impressively expressive or moving tonight. Came back to this at the end of the night and it’s a pretty classic Margaux with the pretty perfume you hope for. My last ‘88 was finicky as well.
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1979 Château Margaux 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
[Magnum] Nose is showing tertiary development with pine and some green vegetal aromas over dark red fruit and leather. There’s actually a big waft of black truffles on this. Palate is more classic with a dose of blackberry fruit and some bouldery minerality. Drying cranberry. Nose has many details while the palate is classic but unyielding. Reminiscent of a '79 Haut-Brion from Magnum somewhat recently in terms of spice.
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2003 Château Margaux 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Nose has scorched earth and super ripe red and blue berry fruit. Dry wood and soil. Palate is hot and the flavours attack upfront and then fall off.
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2002 Château Margaux 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Not getting a good read in any direction. — Blown off and now showing a more straightforward modern Bordeaux. Big blueberry fruit. Monolithic although there are details of you really look. Whereas the '03 is just overripe and scorched this isn't much of anything.
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2001 Château Margaux 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Elegant nose that has violet flowers and perfume, blackberry, and wet stone. Blackberry fruit. Some pleasant mocha here. Certainly more complete than ‘03 and ‘02 and pretty close to the ‘00, which was spectacular. On the palate this is dense and rich with deep black and blue flavour. Nicely textured tannin, balanced. Solid.
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2000 Château Margaux 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Big projection off of this nose: florals, violets, bouldery minerality, and blackberry perfume. Expansive and beautiful. Peppermint in dark chocolate. On the palate this is a gear above any of the younger vintages thus far in the vertical with beautiful blueberry fruit and silky tannin. Well endowed with robust berry fruit with staying power to the flavours and a persisting finish. Palate outperforms the bouquet, which is also great, substantially. Lives up to the high expectations of ‘00 Bordeaux. Very impressive indeed.
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1996 Château Margaux 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Intense bouquet that has pen ink and violet florals. Graphite. Classic Margaux blue fruit and perfume nose. On the palate this has a medley of red, black, and blue berry fruit, nice punch but still well balanced. Great now and have to think this will keep adding nuance and texture for a long while. A consistent classic I always enjoy, and always find it outperforms the '95 side-by-side.
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1995 Château Margaux 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Nose is comparable to that on the ‘96 with blue and blackberry fruits and violet floras. Prefer the ‘96 as it has greater projection and expression, as has been the case every time I've tested the two side-by-side. Palate has all the same red, black, and blue berry fruits as that on the ‘96, just a touch tighter and tougher, although not an inelegant wine by any stretch. Bigger tannin too. Supple, but never seems to match the integration and balance of the ‘96 for me.
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1990 Château Margaux 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Gorgeous nose, big projection, ripe blue and red berry fruit with elegant floral perfume. Very pretty. Beautiful palate as well, soft, integrated, plenty of ripe red berry fruit with with texture and a silky structure. Harmonious and delicious. Very impressed with this tonight, very pleasurable drinking. Truly an ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ type wine. Tied for wine of the night along with the '85, given that the '82 was heat damaged or something beyond recognition.
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1989 Château Margaux 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Although this nose is entirely pleasant, relative to the ‘90 in the next glass this has underripe blackberry and cranberry fruit and is showing tight. Darker fruit with a tertiary cigar edge. Would hope for more opulence and brightness out of this, but instead its more of a dark soily greenness tonight.
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1986 Château Margaux 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This is a pretty nose, probably most comparable to the ‘95 so far with big blue and black berry fruit. Violet florals showing up too. Nice blueberry perfume. Palate is focused and structured with a lot of fruit power in the background yet to fully develop. Sweet and not totally in balance with angular tannin. Blocky overall but still enjoyable, particularly the perfume.
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1985 Château Margaux 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This is more in the style of the ‘90 with an opulence and ripeness to the red and black berry fruit on the nose. Also some damp soil and smoke in this one. Aromatically nuanced. On the palate this has sweet mocha in the blueberry fruit. Blackberry tannin. Given that the ‘82 is NFG this ‘85 is stealing the flight and probably slightly edges out the '90 for wine of the night given the greater complexity and terroir influence in addition to the fruit. Very happy with this.
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1983 Château Margaux 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Mocha and blueberry fruit on the nose. Savoury but chocolatey. Chocolate covered cherries. Expressive. This palate is delicious with ripe red berry fruit and savoury character. Fun but imagine you’d better drink this now.
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1982 Château Margaux Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Heat damaged beyond recognition. Very disappointing as the last time I had this it was approaching transcendent...
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1993 Château Margaux 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
This is surprisingly pleasant with red cherry and black berry on the nose. Leathers, ferns, pine, and spicey.
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