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.
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.
Deep ruby color. Aromas of ripe black cherries, cassis, and a hint of violets. On the palate, it reveals a structured body with a balanced interplay of acidity and tannins, unveiling flavors of dark fruits, licorice, and a subtle earthy undertone. The finish is long and marked by an elegant fruit-spice harmony.
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Drank over the evening. Not much change over 4-5 hours. More restrained than the 2020 DDC but not closed off. Floral, linens, fresh raspberry on the nose. Palate of pure and clean black cherry, stone, and some eucalyptus. Some blueberry pokes through with some baking spice. Flows effortlessly. Very long finish.
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An easy afternoon with close friends. (By BV @ PdV): Very beautiful and complex bouquet with smoke, vanilla, a touch of barnyard and graphite. Same on the palate, luxurious, a pleasant touch of sweetness, ripe and juicy dark berries, beautiful acidity and round tannin. Silky and lush, very complete wine and still in its young maturity stage. So happy I have a few more.. 94++
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Nose: blackberries, blackcurrant, cedar, thyme, oregano dried and fresh and some floral tones at the end Palete: fruit driven at first, then layers of spices and herbs. Long finish.
High acidity and tannins. Young but more accessible that expected. A really good wine
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This is a masterpiece Forest floor, black fruits, red fruits and layers of herbs. Fresh mostly but also dry Palete: red and blue fruits, vanilla , cedar, cloves and herbs that lasts forever. Well beyond my expectations😍
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A truly great Bordeaux, full body, 13.5% abv, great fruit, smooth tannins as it opened up, great balance but s till can develop more, drank with magret of duck and tuna sashimi, you could just tell how good it was from the first sip, would drink again if I can find it,
Really black dark red blood stained cork on the tip, this wine is aromatically all tobacco and some cassis. Classic left bank with a little Margaux sweetness. Certainly entering its window I remember this wine being much tighter, but it’s been a few years since popping a malescot 2016 cork. Time is doing this well.
We have been waiting, and tonight is the night for which we have been waiting. Dark red color, opaque, red fruit, and tobacco in the nose. Balanced, smooth, no sharp edges, enjoyable from start to finish. Goes well with a medium rare rib eye. (But, EVERYTHING goes well with a medium rare rib eye!) Of course, my incredible wife detected the greatness in the nose alone. I heard her, "mmmmmm ... that's nice" and I knew. These wines from Bordeaux are so unpredictable that I never know if it is safe to recommend them to friends. But, if I could trust that this wine will stay like this forever, ... I would recommend it without reservation.
Drank this on New Year’s eve with a lovely braised beef dish, alongside some quite serious company of a 2015 Petite Mouton, 2016 Brunello, 2013 Brunate Barolo and this was the WOTN.
I was focused on the evening and company vs writing detailed tasting notes, but what I do recall is that this came across beautifully medium-bodied, with layered depth on the nose and a long, dynamic experience on the palate. Comparing directly to the Petite Mouton, this wine showed it’s pedigree as an age-worthy top-wine, compared to the softer second wine from Mouton. I wish I had more bottles!
Blueberry, blackberry, chalk, gravel; big, rich, smooth, powerful, long, a little grainy and hints of spice; young, and slightly closed and tight, but still fairly drinkable now and very good potential indeed; excellent
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First bottle of the case. Perfect cork. Only a small amount of sediment. Decanted. Deep red plum colour. Savoury, earthy nose of plums, blackberries, mulch, graphite, nutmeg and a final hit of black currant. Intriguing! Lovely weight in the mouth. Very dry and still lots of unresolved tannins, but they are finely textured. Sweet and savoury dark purple and black fruits on the palate. All the usual suspects: plum, blackberry, black currant. Then comes the chalky tannins and a bit of an herbal (but not green) note. Nicely balanced. Still young and a bit in need of mellowing. Quite lovely!
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Decanted for 3 hours. Still too tannic and not totally forthcoming. The elements are present. Impossible to assess ultimate potential and meaningless to apply a score now. Sorry, can't judge number of years needed.
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Blue/black fruits, very dry, herbal, earthy, so pleasant on the nose. On the palate, really balanced, there is a certain creaminess and smoothness. Savory and high acidity. Nice wine.
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Out of 375ml 1 hour open Nose: Heavy floral notes with blue/black fruit notes nicely evolving Palate : Smooth , rich but with a mineral element that keeps it in Bordeaux rather than new world . Good tannic backbone that takes it to a long finish . Bought this 375 to checkin rather than open a 750. Would buy again.
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Decanted and enjoyed over 1-2h. From 375 ml. This does not seem to have evolved further from my previous notes last year, smooth and delicious. My last bottle from a case of 12, purchased en primeur and delivered 3 years ago. It has been fun sampling these waiting for the more serious 750ml bottles of the '16 bdx vintage to mature in the cellar...
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Not as impressive as the first bottle I had a couple of years ago, though this was still solid. There's a wonderful creaminess on the mid-palate which I appreciate, and a bit of dryness on the finish. Up front the dark fruit is pretty solid. Enticing. Held up quite well on the 2nd day.
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Medium red with a watery rim, dry nose with baking spice, dried plum, blackberry liqueur, dark cherry. Mid finish, drying. Dry.
I'm seeing quite a few reviews decribing as deep, dense and plush, not getting any of that. A bit disjointed at this time, hold for a few more years. Or maybe an off bottle.
Drinking very nicely, I could have sworn this was a bit older than it actually was. Decanted for 45 minutes. Earthy, really just a typical, good, Bordeaux.
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Decanted for 1-2h, from 375 ml. Lovely tobacco nose, some cedar, coffee and alcohol too. On the palate, red and black cherries, cordial, mineral, graphite, acid, tannins, dark chocolate. The finish is med. This seems more complex than the last time I tried this (about a year ago). 92/93
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Wine was very good, but lacked the structure and layers to make it great! After 4 hrs decant it started getting a little flat. Maybe more time 4-5 yrs would add those layers.
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Surprise-surprise! This wine never did shut down and the question of the day is - will it close down at some point? At this moment it is fully approachable with no harsh acidity or hard tannins. Honey-mashed fruit driven, this full body wine shows sexy, jammy character backed by powerful structure of sweet tannins. It's all about tobacco, cacao, black berry and leather. Very modern in style - what's there not to like? Lovely!
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From 375ml bottle. Decanted 1 hour. Young as expected. I was a bit worried that it might be closed down. But no, after 1 hour in decanter it was fun to drink. This will be even better in 10 years. 93(-) pts at the moment.
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A little beauty. Thought it would be taut and tight being so young, but after a decanting it was light on its feet like a ballerina in toe shoes and veritably danced on the tongue. Not as dense as I thought it might be but still has some concentration and lighter berry fruit notes balanced by forest floor for structure and none of the tobacco, cedar, and graphite you get from its more northerly neighbors. Then I have very little experience with Margaux. A good wine that will not disappoint. Yet I don’t see this as a long term ager. Since the tannins are fine and already integrated and the fruit already forward I’d consume this over the next 3-5 years.
Very dark purple color. Lots of tannins, as to be expected for a wine this young. Very fruit forward, plum, cocoa flavors dominate. A touch of turpentine on the nose, strange as that sounds. This is a juvenile, and it will require some time to reach its true potential.
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See previous notes... Here’s my problem with this bottle: it is so stunning and riveting that out of six bottles, I have consumed three. It is nowhere near ready, and yet the addiction is far too strong. Riveting and nuanced. Yes, wait at least four years and study for many (wishing that I could...).
Linear and thin upon opening, with a primary and somewhat watery delivery of red currant, cherry, vanilla, and light spice. A few hours in the decanter helped to ease some of the tension otherwise locking up any true expression of flavor, but it remained fairly bound up throughout consumption.
All in all, the overly snowflake profile came off not only primary in stature but also distractingly namby-pamby and diluted. Mid-palate was severely underdeveloped and lacking any real concentration. More translucent and Gamay-like in its build. This is definitely a recruit in need of some soldier fortitude and density. Hopefully 5+years in bottle will help build up some moral courage and meatiness.
Better with food. And yes, I know it's a Bordeaux and I know it was opened too early (so they say), but I've had far better expressions of 2016 BDX that show much more promise than this poor little puppy. And no, I'm not trying to make this into a Napa Cabernet or evaluate it by that standard. I can honestly say this was one of the lightest expressions of BDX or Margaux that I've had in a while. Frankly, I'm not sure how folks are getting much out of this wine right now.
To be fair, my girl said she liked it a lot. When asked why, she commented about how it was nice to have a Cab blend that went well with lighter fare. Well then, if you're looking for a Cabernet to pair with halibut, cucumbers, and quinoa, then I guess this is your wine. For me, I suppose I prefer being more confident double-blind that I'm drinking a Bordeaux and not a Beaujolais.
This was opened last night to pair with steaks. While we gave it 1-2 hours in the decanter, it was still tightly coiled. Now with 24+ hours open, the last remaining glass is quite nice. There is a silkiness on the palate that offers blackberry, cassis, with a solid frame of oak that neither feels just about right. It will be interesting to see how this wine evolves over time.
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Decanted for 1h, from a half bottle. Lovely but soft perfumy spice box nose, cedar, dried cherries. The palate is smooth silky black fruit, oak, minerals, and a long finish. Consistent with my previous notes. A pleasant interlude as my other '16s continue to mature.
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Young, tight, grippy tannins, but still astonishingly smooth. Over ripe blackberries, cedar, eucalyptus with hint of barn yard. Silky with an undertone of rustic, woodsy, dark fruit and juicey berries. Bold and beautiful bottle. Will give it another go in a couple of years.
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-- decanted 1 hr before initial taste -- -- tasted non-blind over approx. 2 hrs on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 --
NOSE: bright; "purple"; oaky; clean.
BODY: medium bodied
TASTE: moderately tannic; medium acidity; no funk; light, wet stones mineral note; has a reserved, slightly "pretty" presentation. Day 2: "good," and a bit lacking in structure. Gut impression score: 90 - 91. Not a rebuy @ $59. Hold.
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Delicious and drinking very well already. Oodles of rich fruit, nicely framed. Always a great value producer given the quality, even moreso of late. If I had to pick one Bordeaux to buy at case quantity this producer would be right up there, and in most vintages. Held up well on the 2nd day - lost a bit of its freshness but was also a bit more open and deep.
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This was surprisingly satisfying. On day one it was double decanted at lunch time and I had just a glass for dinner. At its tender age this was obviously very primary and angular, and quite new world. I left it completely alone on day two but came back on it day three. It had now smoothed out, and while retaining its primary character (of course) and new world style, there was elegance, intensity and charm. It was surprisingly well balanced through to the long and almost spicy finish. I enjoyed it more than the score of 93 I give it here. As I said, very satisfying, but I can't push myself to give a wine that lacks complexity more than this. It has a great future, but I will keep drinking it until it eventually closes down to become whatever the wine-maker had in mind for it.
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We had this in a blind tasting. It showed as reduced, black olive tapenade, and a little feral. It was clearly leaner from an alcohol standpoint than the CA and WA wines but not as expressive than we expected. Day 2 is a different story. The oak subsides and incredible red fruits (cherry, red currant) show with purity on nose and palate. So long today with great acidity and drive. Incredible what a day does. 92 yesterday. 95 today
decanted for two hours. dark upfront fruit, cocoa, coffee. delicious. very linear, but with a nice long finish. looking forward to seeing how it evolves...
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Opened to breathe from a 375 ml in lockdown. Purple in the glass, with hot cedar/oak and minerals. On the palate, intense black cherries, oak, graphite, some tannins and acid in the finish. Very nice. Long finish with black pepper. Very silky, classy, with the gravitas of fine claret, but none of the complex tertiary flavors and aromas you get with the blockbusters. I'm really enjoying this in its youth from the half bottles, a fun experience as I'm waiting (and waiting) for my 750ml 2016 bdx to mature. The drinking window of 2024 seems overly pessimistic - especially if you enjoy vibrant fruit. Why wait. This is great now. Hard to tell if it will be much better in 2024.
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Drinking beautifully. Some people say this is too modern, but it had all the classic BDX profile for me. Excellent stuff and at $60 at Costco, was outstanding QPR. Paired it with Flannery hangar steak tonight. Drank from a Coravin.
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We had this bottle at a dinner a couple months back and it was big, tannic and closed. Very good but I had the feeling that it is much more than we were able to experience that evening. So, we poured this into a very wide bottom decanter tonight, our granddaughter swirled it a dozen or more times in the decanter, and we let it breathe for an hour or so while we waited for dinner to grill. Purple in color, nice, long legs. Medium to full bodied. I detect black fruit and cedar, and a hint of cherries at times. Gale commented immediately that this is a big wine. A bit of wood comes through as well. Certainly very good but it is not showing a lot of complexity right now. We both agree that we are going to let this breathe for another hour or two and see what emerges. ... We are now 4 hours into this wine. I want to say it has opened and become fantastic. But, it hasn't. It has smoothed out a bit, and that cherry taste we both detected, ... it is still there, but now with a bit of a sharp edge ... slight, but still there. Perhaps it will pull together more in the bottle but right now, it seems a bit disjointed when I compare it to other left bank wines from this vintage. Still good, and I would choose this over most California Cabs in the same price range. As for Gale, she is not excited about this wine. She finds nothing about the wine that is particularly bad, but also nothing that really grabs her attention or is exciting. Perhaps our expectations were inflated by some of the glowing early reviews of this wine. We have several more bottles and will be sampling this again.
Paid $75.00. The color of the wine is the best I have seen. However, right now it is closed down tight. First taste when opened was not good, but with about an hour, and before the steak dinner was finished, all the wine was gone. Will be a great wine in the future, and a much higher rating in the future.
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This is a stunner. More power than the 2015, very fresh with its vibrant acidity and obviously young yet approachable. On the nose, aromatic and inviting red fruits, cedar and hints of leather (already). On the palate, plum, lovely berries, chocolate, tobacco on the silky, peppery and slightly saline finish. Surely mineral. Fleshy and Concentrated. Cabernet Sauvignon power is felt, yet the wine remains elegant and the tannins round (especially on the finish). This is a serious wine that will age beautifully
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Decanted for an hour. Dried rose petals, black cherry, sweet tobacco, Chinese five spice, and some dark fruit. Feminine, and very voluptuous, with fine tannins that add a superb texture. The fruit is glorious, and this is the best Malescot since ‘05 - maybe a tad better, in fact. Obviously young, this shows a pure persona. Quite thick. Drink 2024 -.
This is so intensely and immediately mineral it practically turns your wine-glass into a fracking instrument and requires a hardhat. It buries you under so many layers of pulverized rock, metal shavings, and pencil fillings that it's hard to call this anything other than fruit-backward, or whatever the opposite of fruit-forward is - the fruit profile is basically the opposite of the slutty 2015, which was gushing with inky sweetness. Here, the flesh of the fruit has to be fairly well-hidden, but obviously it's in there somewhere because for all its structure and stoniness this doesn't feel too dry or austere. Still, the fruit is mostly felt in terms of precision and some refreshment at the edges and I'm hard-pressed to find any primary fruit flavors that correlate to the usual Bordeaux TN fruit salad; the dominant flavors here are from the mineral and earth, and there's such a wide spectrum of them I have to give this the edge over the 2015, but the two together have to be one of the best examples I've seen in wines from a single estate (in back-to-back vintages no less) offering a perfect compare-and-contrast between the hedonistic style and the intellectual one. Under Diam cork - thank you!
No surprise, this will need at least 5 years (2024+) to start to show its best. But it has a beautiful bouquet, serious concentration of fruit, elegant tannins, and a powerful finish. The 2016 should last 30 years from vintage
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Double blind Cab based wine tasting (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Classic Bordeaux nose displaying crème de cassis, blackberry, lead pencil, light caramel, sweet spices and earth. Very harmonious palate, very finely layered cassis fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity, strong mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a long sweet black fruit driven finish. Even at this young age, a classic claret. My guess is the lower tier classified growth. Very nice but totally overshadowed by the next wine.
P: MF, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which surprises as to the amount of resolution as it evolves into the LONG, BALANCED, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. A potentially elegant style in which, today @ least, I suspect the frt was masking the underlying structure. NEEDS through '22 min, then approaching at least its 15th without difficulty? My EXC, VERY likely higher... eventually. 97 pts Suckling, 96 Dunnuck, 95 ea WA, Vinous (Galloni), & Jeff Leve (2x), 93 ea WS & Decanter (Anson, 2x), 92-94 WE, and 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson! [This vendor's $76.95 puts it towards the bottom of the TOP 1/2 of wine-searcher's postings.]
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Still deeply colored, the wine instantly pops with smoke, blackberry, boysenberry, espresso bean, licorice and black cherry notes. Dense, full and plush, the mid-palate and finish is packed with the layers of dense, opulently textured, juicy, black fruits and cherry liqueur. The wine was made from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
From a 375 ml, decanted, and started tasting right away. Smooth and classy, great red fruit and balanced oak. This is very accessible now, consistent with my previous note. Definitely improved with time in the decanter, after an hour the leather and oak intensified.
Drank as a PnP and consumed over 4 hours. This is surpringly approachable at this stage, although there is a lot of youthful tannins, it’s not over the top. Dark red cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, heavy earthiness, moist dirt, tree bark, black tea, cocoa powder, great balance and silky smooth mouth feel. Really nice and well worth the price.
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Decanted for 2h, first 375 ml from a case ordered en primeur. Heady creamy nose of berries and tobacco. Medium bodied, light sweet cherries and blackberries on the palate, balanced with more cream, hints of tobacco and oak and a smooth satifying finish. Rather delicate, and I was expecting more power. What's missing is perceptible structure that would entice me to hold these for a long time. I don't have much experience with this winery, a few magnums of 2000 that were delicious but the fruit had long since gone away. I worry about that here, too. 92/93
Sampled head to head with the '16 Comtesse Lalande from a split, same 3h decant. Now THAT was ambrosial! (admittedly 3x the price too).
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Blackberry liqueur, boysenberry, espresso bean and dark chocolate over black cherry open up the nose. Fat, titillating, deep and lavish, this wine is ambrosial, powerful and mouth filling. The finish is fresh and packed with the ripest, sweetest, juiciest, dark red fruits. Produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.72. The Grand Vin represents 72% of the harvest, which took place October 1 to October 25.
4/22/2024 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Nice, rich Christmas cake notes. Didn't hold up well by day three.
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4/6/2024 - VincentMorey Likes this wine:
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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3/14/2024 - sfbikeguy Likes this wine: 93 Points
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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3/6/2024 - Reblaus84 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep ruby color. Aromas of ripe black cherries, cassis, and a hint of violets. On the palate, it reveals a structured body with a balanced interplay of acidity and tannins, unveiling flavors of dark fruits, licorice, and a subtle earthy undertone. The finish is long and marked by an elegant fruit-spice harmony.
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1/19/2024 - PghMike Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank over the evening. Not much change over 4-5 hours. More restrained than the 2020 DDC but not closed off. Floral, linens, fresh raspberry on the nose. Palate of pure and clean black cherry, stone, and some eucalyptus. Some blueberry pokes through with some baking spice. Flows effortlessly. Very long finish.
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12/23/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 94 Points
An easy afternoon with close friends. (By BV @ PdV): Very beautiful and complex bouquet with smoke, vanilla, a touch of barnyard and graphite. Same on the palate, luxurious, a pleasant touch of sweetness, ripe and juicy dark berries, beautiful acidity and round tannin. Silky and lush, very complete wine and still in its young maturity stage. So happy I have a few more.. 94++
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10/21/2023 - PLLU Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose: blackberries, blackcurrant, cedar, thyme, oregano dried and fresh and some floral tones at the end
Palete: fruit driven at first, then layers of spices and herbs. Long finish.
High acidity and tannins. Young but more accessible that expected. A really good wine
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10/20/2023 - PLLU Likes this wine: 97 Points
This is a masterpiece
Forest floor, black fruits, red fruits and layers of herbs. Fresh mostly but also dry
Palete: red and blue fruits, vanilla , cedar, cloves and herbs that lasts forever.
Well beyond my expectations😍
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10/19/2023 - jthom wrote: 92 Points
Somewhat subdued. High level of acidity. Blue and red fruit. Would benefit from some more time in the cellar.
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9/17/2023 - watcheslover Likes this wine: 94 Points
mini-vertical by Malescot Saint Exupéry, 3 days ago
2021 not tasted.
1) 2019 97/100
2) 2020 95/100
3) 2022 (sample) 94-95/100
4) 2016, 2018 94/100
6) 2015 93/100
7) 2017 92
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7/31/2023 - mwneil Likes this wine: 96 Points
A truly great Bordeaux, full body, 13.5% abv, great fruit, smooth tannins as it opened up, great balance but s till can develop more, drank with magret of duck and tuna sashimi, you could just tell how good it was from the first sip, would drink again if I can find it,
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5/28/2023 - cameronmunden@hotmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first MSE. Got better and better over a 3 day period. Nose opened up on day two and just became more balanced overall. Classic Margaux style
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4/21/2023 - dox84 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bordeaux (Margaux, Pauillac, St. Julien) (Osteria Piazza Litta, Varese (Italy)): Vino giovane con naso delicato. In bocca è elegante ma manca un po' di struttura.
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3/19/2023 - Roesel Likes this wine: 94 Points
En la Vega con costillas BBQ
Fantástico
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3/2/2023 - Wine G Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really black dark red blood stained cork on the tip, this wine is aromatically all tobacco and some cassis. Classic left bank with a little Margaux sweetness. Certainly entering its window I remember this wine being much tighter, but it’s been a few years since popping a malescot 2016 cork. Time is doing this well.
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1/15/2023 - Cincinnatus Likes this wine: 96 Points
We have been waiting, and tonight is the night for which we have been waiting. Dark red color, opaque, red fruit, and tobacco in the nose. Balanced, smooth, no sharp edges, enjoyable from start to finish. Goes well with a medium rare rib eye. (But, EVERYTHING goes well with a medium rare rib eye!) Of course, my incredible wife detected the greatness in the nose alone. I heard her, "mmmmmm ... that's nice" and I knew. These wines from Bordeaux are so unpredictable that I never know if it is safe to recommend them to friends. But, if I could trust that this wine will stay like this forever, ... I would recommend it without reservation.
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1/14/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous notes.
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12/31/2022 - RoosterBird Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this on New Year’s eve with a lovely braised beef dish, alongside some quite serious company of a 2015 Petite Mouton, 2016 Brunello, 2013 Brunate Barolo and this was the WOTN.
I was focused on the evening and company vs writing detailed tasting notes, but what I do recall is that this came across beautifully medium-bodied, with layered depth on the nose and a long, dynamic experience on the palate. Comparing directly to the Petite Mouton, this wine showed it’s pedigree as an age-worthy top-wine, compared to the softer second wine from Mouton. I wish I had more bottles!
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12/23/2022 - wineappreciation wrote: 92 Points
Blueberry, blackberry, chalk, gravel; big, rich, smooth, powerful, long, a little grainy and hints of spice; young, and slightly closed and tight, but still fairly drinkable now and very good potential indeed; excellent
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12/6/2022 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 92 Points
First bottle of the case. Perfect cork. Only a small amount of sediment. Decanted. Deep red plum colour. Savoury, earthy nose of plums, blackberries, mulch, graphite, nutmeg and a final hit of black currant. Intriguing! Lovely weight in the mouth. Very dry and still lots of unresolved tannins, but they are finely textured. Sweet and savoury dark purple and black fruits on the palate. All the usual suspects: plum, blackberry, black currant. Then comes the chalky tannins and a bit of an herbal (but not green) note. Nicely balanced. Still young and a bit in need of mellowing. Quite lovely!
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11/20/2022 - Chris@77 wrote:
Decanted for 3 hours. Still too tannic and not totally forthcoming. The elements are present. Impossible to assess ultimate potential and meaningless to apply a score now. Sorry, can't judge number of years needed.
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9/27/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 91 Points
Has good potential but way too young even with a decant.
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6/28/2022 - KAT9 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Blue/black fruits, very dry, herbal, earthy, so pleasant on the nose. On the palate, really balanced, there is a certain creaminess and smoothness. Savory and high acidity. Nice wine.
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5/26/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Out of 375ml
1 hour open
Nose:
Heavy floral notes with blue/black fruit notes nicely evolving
Palate :
Smooth , rich but with a mineral element that keeps it in Bordeaux rather than new world . Good tannic backbone that takes it to a long finish .
Bought this 375 to checkin rather than open a 750.
Would buy again.
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5/4/2022 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 91 Points
Not particularly exciting out the bottle, but opened up at the end. Recommend a good 2 hours of decanting if you can't wait a few yesrs
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4/27/2022 - mwneil wrote:
Ft Wayne Dinner: Wine was corked, a shame.
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4/14/2022 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and enjoyed over 1-2h. From 375 ml. This does not seem to have evolved further from my previous notes last year, smooth and delicious. My last bottle from a case of 12, purchased en primeur and delivered 3 years ago. It has been fun sampling these waiting for the more serious 750ml bottles of the '16 bdx vintage to mature in the cellar...
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3/10/2022 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Not as impressive as the first bottle I had a couple of years ago, though this was still solid. There's a wonderful creaminess on the mid-palate which I appreciate, and a bit of dryness on the finish. Up front the dark fruit is pretty solid. Enticing. Held up quite well on the 2nd day.
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12/26/2021 - bordeauxman777 Likes this wine: 92 Points
An other great showing for this amazing juice! Very consistent with my previous note. Lovely!
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12/23/2021 - 82Latour wrote: 90 Points
Medium red with a watery rim, dry nose with baking spice, dried plum, blackberry liqueur, dark cherry. Mid finish, drying. Dry.
I'm seeing quite a few reviews decribing as deep, dense and plush, not getting any of that. A bit disjointed at this time, hold for a few more years. Or maybe an off bottle.
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11/28/2021 - kvswine Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dry Earthy with a very tart stringint finish..
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9/11/2021 - Rosal Likes this wine: 94 Points
Appearance: Medium Ruby.
Nose: Medium Intensity Cherry, Current and Floral.
Palate: Dry. Medium Acidity. Medium Tannin. Medium Body. Medium Intensity of Blackberry, Plum, Oak, Earthy and Leather. Long Finish.
Conclusion: Outstanding Quality Wine
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6/17/2021 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very nicely, I could have sworn this was a bit older than it actually was. Decanted for 45 minutes. Earthy, really just a typical, good, Bordeaux.
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6/17/2021 - skurtz wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 1-2h, from 375 ml. Lovely tobacco nose, some cedar, coffee and alcohol too. On the palate, red and black cherries, cordial, mineral, graphite, acid, tannins, dark chocolate. The finish is med. This seems more complex than the last time I tried this (about a year ago). 92/93
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6/5/2021 - Mapka1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wine was very good, but lacked the structure and layers to make it great! After 4 hrs decant it started getting a little flat. Maybe more time 4-5 yrs would add those layers.
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5/31/2021 - bordeauxman777 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprise-surprise! This wine never did shut down and the question of the day is - will it close down at some point? At this moment it is fully approachable with no harsh acidity or hard tannins. Honey-mashed fruit driven, this full body wine shows sexy, jammy character backed by powerful structure of sweet tannins. It's all about tobacco, cacao, black berry and leather. Very modern in style - what's there not to like? Lovely!
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3/7/2021 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375ml bottle. Decanted 1 hour. Young as expected. I was a bit worried that it might be closed down. But no, after 1 hour in decanter it was fun to drink. This will be even better in 10 years. 93(-) pts at the moment.
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2/21/2021 - classicalspin Likes this wine: 93 Points
A little beauty. Thought it would be taut and tight being so young, but after a decanting it was light on its feet like a ballerina in toe shoes and veritably danced on the tongue. Not as dense as I thought it might be but still has some concentration and lighter berry fruit notes balanced by forest floor for structure and none of the tobacco, cedar, and graphite you get from its more northerly neighbors. Then I have very little experience with Margaux. A good wine that will not disappoint. Yet I don’t see this as a long term ager. Since the tannins are fine and already integrated and the fruit already forward I’d consume this over the next 3-5 years.
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2/18/2021 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very dark purple color. Lots of tannins, as to be expected for a wine this young. Very fruit forward, plum, cocoa flavors dominate. A touch of turpentine on the nose, strange as that sounds. This is a juvenile, and it will require some time to reach its true potential.
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1/31/2021 - Mgupta2000 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Earthy notes, rounded feel gentle on tannins. Decanted for 4 hours. Had a glass after almost 10 hours and it tasted even better.
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1/16/2021 - Baron Samedi Likes this wine: 92 Points
V pleasant. Abundant fruit, solid tannins. V approachable and good w a steak dinner.
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10/29/2020 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 97 Points
See previous notes...
Here’s my problem with this bottle: it is so stunning and riveting that out of six bottles, I have consumed three. It is nowhere near ready, and yet the addiction is far too strong. Riveting and nuanced. Yes, wait at least four years and study for many (wishing that I could...).
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10/5/2020 - Baron Samedi wrote:
Consumed in a cabin with bad stemware, hence no rating. Pleasant and young on palate, quite tannic finish.
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9/20/2020 - csimm wrote: 88 Points
Linear and thin upon opening, with a primary and somewhat watery delivery of red currant, cherry, vanilla, and light spice. A few hours in the decanter helped to ease some of the tension otherwise locking up any true expression of flavor, but it remained fairly bound up throughout consumption.
All in all, the overly snowflake profile came off not only primary in stature but also distractingly namby-pamby and diluted. Mid-palate was severely underdeveloped and lacking any real concentration. More translucent and Gamay-like in its build. This is definitely a recruit in need of some soldier fortitude and density. Hopefully 5+years in bottle will help build up some moral courage and meatiness.
Better with food. And yes, I know it's a Bordeaux and I know it was opened too early (so they say), but I've had far better expressions of 2016 BDX that show much more promise than this poor little puppy. And no, I'm not trying to make this into a Napa Cabernet or evaluate it by that standard. I can honestly say this was one of the lightest expressions of BDX or Margaux that I've had in a while. Frankly, I'm not sure how folks are getting much out of this wine right now.
To be fair, my girl said she liked it a lot. When asked why, she commented about how it was nice to have a Cab blend that went well with lighter fare. Well then, if you're looking for a Cabernet to pair with halibut, cucumbers, and quinoa, then I guess this is your wine. For me, I suppose I prefer being more confident double-blind that I'm drinking a Bordeaux and not a Beaujolais.
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8/17/2020 - Kirk Grant wrote:
This was opened last night to pair with steaks. While we gave it 1-2 hours in the decanter, it was still tightly coiled. Now with 24+ hours open, the last remaining glass is quite nice. There is a silkiness on the palate that offers blackberry, cassis, with a solid frame of oak that neither feels just about right. It will be interesting to see how this wine evolves over time.
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8/2/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 1h, from a half bottle. Lovely but soft perfumy spice box nose, cedar, dried cherries. The palate is smooth silky black fruit, oak, minerals, and a long finish. Consistent with my previous notes. A pleasant interlude as my other '16s continue to mature.
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7/30/2020 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Violet, black berries, very young, feminine and delicious
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6/12/2020 - Tori_bead Likes this wine: 93 Points
Young, tight, grippy tannins, but still astonishingly smooth. Over ripe blackberries, cedar, eucalyptus with hint of barn yard. Silky with an undertone of rustic, woodsy, dark fruit and juicey berries. Bold and beautiful bottle. Will give it another go in a couple of years.
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6/2/2020 - grafstrb wrote:
-- decanted 1 hr before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over approx. 2 hrs on Day 1; revisited on Day 2 --
NOSE: bright; "purple"; oaky; clean.
BODY: medium bodied
TASTE: moderately tannic; medium acidity; no funk; light, wet stones mineral note; has a reserved, slightly "pretty" presentation. Day 2: "good," and a bit lacking in structure. Gut impression score: 90 - 91. Not a rebuy @ $59. Hold.
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5/31/2020 - John McCabe wrote: 95 Points
Delicious and drinking very well already. Oodles of rich fruit, nicely framed. Always a great value producer given the quality, even moreso of late. If I had to pick one Bordeaux to buy at case quantity this producer would be right up there, and in most vintages. Held up well on the 2nd day - lost a bit of its freshness but was also a bit more open and deep.
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5/11/2020 - MrBrege wrote: 93 Points
This was surprisingly satisfying. On day one it was double decanted at lunch time and I had just a glass for dinner. At its tender age this was obviously very primary and angular, and quite new world. I left it completely alone on day two but came back on it day three. It had now smoothed out, and while retaining its primary character (of course) and new world style, there was elegance, intensity and charm. It was surprisingly well balanced through to the long and almost spicy finish. I enjoyed it more than the score of 93 I give it here. As I said, very satisfying, but I can't push myself to give a wine that lacks complexity more than this. It has a great future, but I will keep drinking it until it eventually closes down to become whatever the wine-maker had in mind for it.
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5/7/2020 - Nosey Nose wrote: 95 Points
We had this in a blind tasting. It showed as reduced, black olive tapenade, and a little feral. It was clearly leaner from an alcohol standpoint than the CA and WA wines but not as expressive than we expected. Day 2 is a different story. The oak subsides and incredible red fruits (cherry, red currant) show with purity on nose and palate. So long today with great acidity and drive. Incredible what a day does. 92 yesterday. 95 today
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4/24/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not decanted. Small bottle. Opened 1 hour before. Pretty good wine. Even this young it's already fun to drink. 92 pts. at the moment.
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4/19/2020 - madmagnum Likes this wine: 95 Points
decanted for two hours. dark upfront fruit, cocoa, coffee. delicious. very linear, but with a nice long finish. looking forward to seeing how it evolves...
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3/25/2020 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened to breathe from a 375 ml in lockdown. Purple in the glass, with hot cedar/oak and minerals. On the palate, intense black cherries, oak, graphite, some tannins and acid in the finish. Very nice. Long finish with black pepper. Very silky, classy, with the gravitas of fine claret, but none of the complex tertiary flavors and aromas you get with the blockbusters. I'm really enjoying this in its youth from the half bottles, a fun experience as I'm waiting (and waiting) for my 750ml 2016 bdx to mature. The drinking window of 2024 seems overly pessimistic - especially if you enjoy vibrant fruit. Why wait. This is great now. Hard to tell if it will be much better in 2024.
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3/21/2020 - tcarter Likes this wine: 94 Points
On it's second night, took it down a point. But still excellent QPR.
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3/20/2020 - tcarter Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened up a previously Coravin'd bottle. Same notes. Awesome wine. Old world BDX style. Killer tonight with a Flannery beef "Kali" blend burger.
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3/14/2020 - tcarter wrote: 95 Points
Drinking beautifully. Some people say this is too modern, but it had all the classic BDX profile for me. Excellent stuff and at $60 at Costco, was outstanding QPR. Paired it with Flannery hangar steak tonight. Drank from a Coravin.
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2/15/2020 - Cincinnatus Likes this wine: 92 Points
We had this bottle at a dinner a couple months back and it was big, tannic and closed. Very good but I had the feeling that it is much more than we were able to experience that evening. So, we poured this into a very wide bottom decanter tonight, our granddaughter swirled it a dozen or more times in the decanter, and we let it breathe for an hour or so while we waited for dinner to grill. Purple in color, nice, long legs. Medium to full bodied. I detect black fruit and cedar, and a hint of cherries at times. Gale commented immediately that this is a big wine. A bit of wood comes through as well. Certainly very good but it is not showing a lot of complexity right now. We both agree that we are going to let this breathe for another hour or two and see what emerges. ... We are now 4 hours into this wine. I want to say it has opened and become fantastic. But, it hasn't. It has smoothed out a bit, and that cherry taste we both detected, ... it is still there, but now with a bit of a sharp edge ... slight, but still there. Perhaps it will pull together more in the bottle but right now, it seems a bit disjointed when I compare it to other left bank wines from this vintage. Still good, and I would choose this over most California Cabs in the same price range. As for Gale, she is not excited about this wine. She finds nothing about the wine that is particularly bad, but also nothing that really grabs her attention or is exciting. Perhaps our expectations were inflated by some of the glowing early reviews of this wine. We have several more bottles and will be sampling this again.
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2/2/2020 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 94 Points
Paid $75.00. The color of the wine is the best I have seen. However, right now it is closed down tight. First taste when opened was not good, but with about an hour, and before the steak dinner was finished, all the wine was gone. Will be a great wine in the future, and a much higher rating in the future.
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1/18/2020 - Marquis73 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a stunner. More power than the 2015, very fresh with its vibrant acidity and obviously young yet approachable. On the nose, aromatic and inviting red fruits, cedar and hints of leather (already). On the palate, plum, lovely berries, chocolate, tobacco on the silky, peppery and slightly saline finish. Surely mineral. Fleshy and Concentrated. Cabernet Sauvignon power is felt, yet the wine remains elegant and the tannins round (especially on the finish). This is a serious wine that will age beautifully
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1/1/2020 - fozzibaer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showing potential, this should age well.
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12/25/2019 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 97 Points
Decanted for an hour. Dried rose petals, black cherry, sweet tobacco, Chinese five spice, and some dark fruit. Feminine, and very voluptuous, with fine tannins that add a superb texture. The fruit is glorious, and this is the best Malescot since ‘05 - maybe a tad better, in fact. Obviously young, this shows a pure persona. Quite thick. Drink 2024 -.
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12/6/2019 - CTwine wrote: 95 Points
Amazingly good for a young Bordeaux. If you like Cali Cab you will like this. Great fruit but not a bomb, smooth buying more as this should age well.
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11/22/2019 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is so intensely and immediately mineral it practically turns your wine-glass into a fracking instrument and requires a hardhat. It buries you under so many layers of pulverized rock, metal shavings, and pencil fillings that it's hard to call this anything other than fruit-backward, or whatever the opposite of fruit-forward is - the fruit profile is basically the opposite of the slutty 2015, which was gushing with inky sweetness. Here, the flesh of the fruit has to be fairly well-hidden, but obviously it's in there somewhere because for all its structure and stoniness this doesn't feel too dry or austere. Still, the fruit is mostly felt in terms of precision and some refreshment at the edges and I'm hard-pressed to find any primary fruit flavors that correlate to the usual Bordeaux TN fruit salad; the dominant flavors here are from the mineral and earth, and there's such a wide spectrum of them I have to give this the edge over the 2015, but the two together have to be one of the best examples I've seen in wines from a single estate (in back-to-back vintages no less) offering a perfect compare-and-contrast between the hedonistic style and the intellectual one. Under Diam cork - thank you!
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11/21/2019 - signotim Likes this wine: 96 Points
No surprise, this will need at least 5 years (2024+) to start to show its best. But it has a beautiful bouquet, serious concentration of fruit, elegant tannins, and a powerful finish. The 2016 should last 30 years from vintage
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11/14/2019 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Double blind Cab based wine tasting (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Classic Bordeaux nose displaying crème de cassis, blackberry, lead pencil, light caramel, sweet spices and earth. Very harmonious palate, very finely layered cassis fruit, silky and polished, bright acidity, strong mineral, nicely integrated tannins and a long sweet black fruit driven finish. Even at this young age, a classic claret. My guess is the lower tier classified growth. Very nice but totally overshadowed by the next wine.
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11/14/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Served double blind, cherry, black currants, dried earth, cinnamon, pipe tobacco, really nice but lacked some weight compared to it's competition.
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9/28/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 09/27/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): N: Vanilla with notes of earth & minerals with berries way underneath? Intensity lurking?
P: MF, poss Med, body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which surprises as to the amount of resolution as it evolves into the LONG, BALANCED, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. A potentially elegant style in which, today @ least, I suspect the frt was masking the underlying structure. NEEDS through '22 min, then approaching at least its 15th without difficulty? My EXC, VERY likely higher... eventually. 97 pts Suckling, 96 Dunnuck, 95 ea WA, Vinous (Galloni), & Jeff Leve (2x), 93 ea WS & Decanter (Anson, 2x), 92-94 WE, and 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson! [This vendor's $76.95 puts it towards the bottom of the TOP 1/2 of wine-searcher's postings.]
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Still deeply colored, the wine instantly pops with smoke, blackberry, boysenberry, espresso bean, licorice and black cherry notes. Dense, full and plush, the mid-palate and finish is packed with the layers of dense, opulently textured, juicy, black fruits and cherry liqueur. The wine was made from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
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8/19/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a 375 ml, decanted, and started tasting right away. Smooth and classy, great red fruit and balanced oak. This is very accessible now, consistent with my previous note. Definitely improved with time in the decanter, after an hour the leather and oak intensified.
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7/27/2019 - pakabear Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank as a PnP and consumed over 4 hours. This is surpringly approachable at this stage, although there is a lot of youthful tannins, it’s not over the top. Dark red cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, heavy earthiness, moist dirt, tree bark, black tea, cocoa powder, great balance and silky smooth mouth feel. Really nice and well worth the price.
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6/16/2019 - skurtz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 2h, first 375 ml from a case ordered en primeur. Heady creamy nose of berries and tobacco. Medium bodied, light sweet cherries and blackberries on the palate, balanced with more cream, hints of tobacco and oak and a smooth satifying finish. Rather delicate, and I was expecting more power. What's missing is perceptible structure that would entice me to hold these for a long time. I don't have much experience with this winery, a few magnums of 2000 that were delicious but the fruit had long since gone away. I worry about that here, too. 92/93
Sampled head to head with the '16 Comtesse Lalande from a split, same 3h decant. Now THAT was ambrosial! (admittedly 3x the price too).
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Blackberry liqueur, boysenberry, espresso bean and dark chocolate over black cherry open up the nose. Fat, titillating, deep and lavish, this wine is ambrosial, powerful and mouth filling. The finish is fresh and packed with the ripest, sweetest, juiciest, dark red fruits. Produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.72. The Grand Vin represents 72% of the harvest, which took place October 1 to October 25.
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