February 14, 2024 - So much fruit and acid and would not have guessed 1990. Definitely has a long life ahead of it. I was almost anguished tasting so much primary fruit but as it opened up I got a nice lick of graphite, some sous bois, and a fistful of cassis berries. Now I know why Bordeaux lovers geek out about this Chateau.
December 23, 2023 - Full garnet. Heavy cedar on the nose. Similar on the attack, mid red fruit with a good thwack of cedar. Too much cedar in fact, I think this is slightly corked. Previous note 15 years ago mentioned a drying finish, but this is a step beyond that. No.
November 7, 2023 - Brief taste. This was quite dark and coiled. Rich without being roasted but flavors were a bit muddled. I’ll look forward to more time with the next bottle.
November 4, 2023 - Maybe not the best bottle. Seemed like it might have seen some heat at the fruit was a little muddled and advanced. But the finish showed a terrific vibrancy and eucalyptus note.
Really turned around on night 2. So maybe I held this back by not decanting. It was overlooked due to overwhelming number of better offerings on night 1. More delineation oon night 2. Sharply focied fluit and palate. Nose was wlwgant ans juacned with tobacco and tea notes and lovely eucalyptus note.
Lesson learned. Score is from night 2
March 17, 2023 - Right bank Bordeaux: My third and last bottle of this that showed the best. Brought this for a friend, correctly identified in blind. Had a poise and serenity that previous bottles lacked, didn’t have the unpleasant plummy note as well. Probably on its plateau now. Think this was almost unanimously in everyone’s top 3, second on the night for me.
March 17, 2023 - Bordeaux Right Bank 70s to 2000s: Started a bit lean with a well defined medium body, integrated tannins, and good length. Picked up a touch of chocolate in the finish with more air. Guessed 1994 Pomerol. By a small margin WOTN by the group and had this as no.1 together with the 2001 L'Evangile as well.
October 14, 2022 - My favorite of an 11 vintage vertical tasting, followed by the '98, '00, and '82. I had no idea I'd be seated next to brilliant wine writer, John Gilman, and across from Mark Golodetz, a host, benefactor, and long time advocate of these intriguing wines, when I agreed to attend this tasting, a noble and important fundraiser for Ukraine Aid International. I did not read notes or reviews of vintages before the tasting, and made my own notes before hearing others. We are too often influenced by others' opinions, if we don't keep those blinders on! Magdelaine has too often been underappreciated in its youth, too lean and tight and old school. But John called this right early on; it has evolved into a glorious and iconic Saint- Emilion 30 years down the road. Steely, black granite, open, almost lush but with a firm tannic backbone and lifting acidity. Ripe red berries mingle with red cherry pits, cough drops, and Spring flowers. Subtly sweet briary red fruit carries through the long finish. At peak, with at least 15 years of great drinking ahead. An elegant lightness of being, Princess Leia brandishing a mean lightsaber. I rarely fail to find a suitable pairing; this is best appreciated as a solo date.
April 24, 2022 - 48x 1990 (37x Bdx, 6x Napa, 5x others): I’ve never had a Magdelaine before but I can see why people rave about this producer. It is so classic, fresh with tons of minerality and structure which sets this wine apart from so many other right banks. It’s not very complex but still fun to drink - although I liked it more than the rest of the group. 91 pts.
TN: Very particular nose with quite cool and fresh fruit, herbs, minerality. On the palate this show quite nice with, superb freshness, classic, minerality-driven. Lots of fun to drink. Classic. It doesn’t have depth of the big names, it doesn’t have the sexiness, but that classicism and coolness sets this wine apart.
Decanting: Quick double decant roughly 3 hours before the tasting which seemed enough to open the wine up.
January 1, 2022 - Magdelaine vertical: Similar impressions to before. For the vintage I think this goes down as a disappointment, brilliant nose but the palate is rather plummy.
August 9, 2021 - Perfumed nose! Seductive wine as previously described. Wasn’t a stunner on the palate but has all the stuffing for immediate pleasure. It would be a good time to drink this up.