2016 Château Malescot St. Exupéry
Community Tasting Note
VincentMorey Likes this wine:
Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Decanted for 3.5 hours before pouring back into the bottle (4 was the recommended timeframe per tastingbook). During the first two hours and smelling from the decanter, intensely aromatic medley of blackberries, black currant, strawberries, some ripe cherries, violets, a hint of earth and cocoa and a tiny bit of perhaps leather or cigar box. At the restaurant the best capture of aromas was at the start but by then it lost some of its luster. Over time, the fruit fades faster than I would like even when topping the glass off every now and then, and the wine evolves to become much smoother in mouthfeel especially with grilled proteins (filet mignon and lamb chops are great with it obviously). Thanks to the long enough decant, the oak was not sneaky in any way and subtle. I am not much of Bordeaux fan or collector but can appreciate the pronounced elegance of this wine and the quality of the tannins, as well as the value and pleasure it gives. Pour this wine for any Margaux lover. Perhaps this needs more time, or a shorter decant to allow the wine to evolve more over dinner.
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3 comments have been posted
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (2,863 views)
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
4/7/2024 6:44:00 AM - It’s a shame the aromas faded so quickly—I am surprised for such a young vintage but that is good to know.
Comment posted by VincentMorey:
4/7/2024 9:37:00 AM - Yeah it was quite an odd experience from that perspective. The others at the dinner table didn’t notice this aspect and just enjoyed the wine with their steaks. In some ways it’s not as distracting of the fruit fading when your plate of grilled proteins also has roasted tomatoes, arugula, and good goat cheese to still make a good solid pairing. I guess the quality of the overall experience still won them over. I wonder if this same bottle had it been aged longer with evolved tertiary notes, would have this fruit fading occur, hmm.
Comment posted by Decanting Queen:
4/8/2024 4:26:00 AM - The mysteries of wine evolution. I would guess it is just a phase right now and it might be different in a few years when things are more tertiary. I haven’t tried any of mine yet but maybe I should—with food given your experience.