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Château Margaux Masterclass, Paul Pontallier and Alexandra Mentzelopoulos
London
Tasted May 18, 2013 by Timbalimba with 1,426 views
Introduction
A most delightful way to spend a Saturday morning. This was a treat, on so many levels. Mssr. Pontallier entertained us for the best part of two hours with a lot of insight and and knowledge from his 30-plus years at the Château. Mlle. Alexandra stepped in towards the end to present herself to the London audience and tell us about her first big project at the domain, the launch of the 3rd wine.
There were certainly plenty of discussion points, and not just the wines. Terroir, Cabernet vs. Merlot, cork vs screwcap, technology vs experience, 2009 vs 2010... and more.
With all the riches on offer at the table in front of me, and its creator guiding the tasting, it was also a humbling experience. With such a terrific level of quality across the board, having started the tasting at 11 am, it was sometimes difficult to find one's bearings. These are all outstanding wines. How do you judge their individual quality when they are tasted against peers, all of them flawless? It's a bit like watching an F1 race and trying to establish how fast the cars really are by comparing them against one another.
And, I couldn't agree more with Paul's assertion that these wines really are made to enjoy with food. To that I would add that they also need time for contemplation. Preferably by the bottle, and over the course of an evening!
Flight 1 (10 notes)
White
2011 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux
94 points
Gold tinted platinum colour. The nose is seriously perfumed, incredibly so for such a young wine, ringing out echoes of a French eau de parfum whose name I cannot recollect; there's white fruit that smells expensive, smoke, integrated oak and spice. Primary yet complex; evolving and escaping as I try to catch the details. In the mouth, it's youthful, with grapefruit and and white flowers. Medium bodied, impeccably balanced, with a long, long mineral finish. Very young but packing all the heat you'd want. This, to me, tasted against the 2003, feels much more akin to the wonderful 1996 I had recently. Mssr. Pontallier says this is the best PB ever made, and who am I to disagree. It will no doubt surpass the 1996. I would love to stage it against a Grand Cru Burgundy in 20 years time. 94 - 98
White
2003 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux
93 points
Pale gold, showing some age and the hot vintage. Fantastic nose, exotic, other-worldly, with ripe tropical fruit and exotic flowers, lanolin, oak, smoke. "Perfumed" is the concept I return to as I try these wines and there's really no better word to catch the quality of the bouquet. The palate is ripe, yet not voluptuous, medium bodied, viscous, very balanced and fine. Just slightly, slightly lacking in acidity but that's down to the vintage and a minor detail, really. Long, balanced, deceptively easy to drink. Probably peaking now
Red
2010 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux
92 points
Garnet, youthful. Great perfume against toasted oak, spice, pure cassis. Doesn't feel primary on the nose but the palate sure is: peppery cabernet flavours, concentrated fruit, aniseed, oak. The finish is underdeveloped, as it should be, really, at this stage. Nice tannic bite. 92- 95,96?
Red
2009 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux
93 points
Garnet, youthful. Not much in the colour to differentiate the '09 from the '10. The nose however is smokier, hotter, with tobacco, grilled meats, and ripe cassis. In the mouth it is fleshy, riper than the '10, lactic, generous, with tannins integrated. Already in balance. 93- 96
Red
2010 Château Margaux
97 points
Garnet, classic young Claret colour profile. The first impression of the nose is a stocky, beefy, muscular wine which is held back. With time, the wonderful perfume starts to reveal itself, a mystic, exotic wave of forest fruit, herbs, sandalwood, tobacco…I could go on forever and I still find it difficult to pinpoint the details. Turning to the palate it is very young in the mouth, monolithic. Crunchy, excellent acidity, grrrreat tannins. Long finish of course but it is way too young. As the tasting moves along this is the wine I find myself coming back to for reference. I'd strongly agree with Mssr. Pontallier that this edges the '09. Best ever during his span of 30 vintages? Time will tell. 97-100
Red
2009 Château Margaux
97 points
Garnet, slightly more concentration than the '10, purple. The nose is more developed, toasty, grilled meats aromas, a very very deep perfume. In a way, although I have tried so many overripe wines from this vintage, this is a very classic Claret, with hot clay, earth, lead pencil. You also get the Cabernet aromas from a hot vintage: there's coffee, licquorice, chocolate. But no baked or raisiny overtones. The palate is very ripe, fleshy, more ready than the '10. The tannins are so ripe and integrated that they are barely noticeable. Long, ripe finish. I doubt I will afford to drink a lot of these, but it would be wonderful to watch the development of the '09 and the '10 during the coming decades. 97-100
Red
2008 Château Margaux
96 points
Garnet, less purple than '09,'10. More development on the nose, with pure cassis against a serious lead aroma. The fruit profile here is really beautiful. In this vintage I find violet as well, a more floral tone rather than spices. Cool blue fruits and violet. Lovely. On the palate, it's fresh, with ripe red fruit. Excellent acidity and slightly grainy tannins. Good finish. Perfectly balanced but not yet ready. A more feminine Margaux that serves to show the ability of the terroir to consistently churn out extraordinary wines. I believe it will stand the test of time and, if such concepts are relevant here, offer some value for money. 96-98
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Comment
Red
2006 Château Margaux
93 points
Similar to the '08 in colour, perhaps slightly less concentrated. The bouquet displays quite a lot of the aromas I associate with Merlot: there's kirsch, a touch of prune, red fruit, sandalwood. I was surprised to learn that there's only 4% of Merlot in the final blend. Tasted blind I would have guessed otherwise. The palate is a tad thinner than the other vintages tasted, once again I find Merlot flavors, cherry, plum, as well as cigar box. Good finish, but there's a slight edge to it. Even Mssr. Pontallier commented on this. Of course it's a fantastic wine but it didn't show very well today. Maybe it will blossom. Maybe not. 93-96?
Red
2001 Château Margaux
97 points
Just beginning to show its age, a thin layer of brick towards the rim. The nose is developed, beautiful, great perfume. Ripe red fruits, beef blood, tobacco...I could go on and on. Fantastic nose. The palate also feels developed, suave, everything starting to come together. Yet still very fresh, with crisp acidity. Long finish. What a wine. And what a nice surprise. Of the six vintages we tried today, this, to me, more than any other, was the iron fist in a velvet glove. Of course the '09 and '10 show great promise but this one has started to hit its stride. Oozing quality, daring you to explore it. 97-99/100?
Red
1996 Château Margaux
97 points
Good concentration, still looks young. Big, bold nose, making no excuses, developed and broad shouldered. Cassis, beef blood, warm earth, manure... smoke and quality tobacco. Very complex bouquet, ripe, gutsy. The palate is ripe, very fleshy, with integrated tannin. Hallmark old school Claret approaching its peak. Long, balanced finish. The nose suggests otherwise but I actually think it needs another decade or so. There's still room for the palate to fill out even more. Ready on the nose, but not on the palate. 97-99/100? Time will tell. I felt an urge to try this with quality food... it was almost unfair to judge it on its own, naked.