2016 Château Malescot St. Exupéry
Community Tasting Note
sfbikeguy Likes this wine:
93 Points
Thursday, March 14, 2024 - I know this is early, but I wanted to try it as I only have 1 bottle. Decanted for 2 hours. Great bottle of wine. I don't drink a lot of Margaux and this was pleasantly surprising for me. Tons of soil in the mid palate and the fruit was very present also. Shared blind with my somm buddy called out 'sneaky oak' after tried the wine with food. I thought that was a good comment as there is a lot of tannin at the end is probably masking the oak. If you have a few bottles of this, I think it's fun to try it a bit early and assess the wine. I liked it and just purchased some more tonight.
I'll go with the crowd on the rating. 93. Cheers.
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9 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (3,682 views)
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Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
3/15/2024 4:02:00 AM - How long would you wait for the next bottle?
Comment posted by sfbikeguy:
3/15/2024 8:51:00 AM - Great question. I think the wine is offering a great experience right now, so if you have a few bottles, I'd recommend opening one in the next 12-18 months. Also, it can handle a several hour decant. The last glasses were better and I was decanting. The missing upside I will be looking for on my next bottle is stronger aromatics. They were muted last night, but the mid palette was excellent at 2+ hours, so I have faith....
For me, I'll open my next bottle in about a year with my brown bag group. Then check in every 18-24 months depending on how it is evolving. Cheers.
Comment posted by sfbikeguy:
3/15/2024 9:00:00 AM - Btw, a follow up point regarding my initial comment. I used the word soil instead of earth on purpose. My somm buddy actually mentioned it. (We frequently share blind bottles via drive by's at the end of a day.). This earthiness was different than other wines I've had. Very present in a positive way. As mentioned earlier, I've not tried a lot of Margaux, but the experience moved me to purchase a 6.
One final note, my somm buddy reminded me we tried a '15 in a prior brown bag and people guessed Napa. He said, and I agree, there is no was you are guessing Napa on this one. He said this is also better than the '15, both hot years.
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
3/16/2024 7:20:00 AM - Thanks for the details. Nice to know this isn’t just a Napa knockoff—many of the ‘15’s drank very ripe and not as complex. Glad to hear the ‘16’s are interesting, will try one soon.
BTW—the ‘15 Domaine de Chevalier, while drinking riper is still pretty stunning if you have a chance to try one.