The one with Old Bordeaux (Praelum): The first look at the bouquet immediately put this wine up for wine of the night. Leaping bouquet of dried florals, graphite, dark plums and bayberries before moving on to white pepper, mulberries, red currents, tobacco and dried roses on the palate. This wine is powerful yet soft, brutish yet elegant, brash yet sensual... you get the drift. Great fruit concentration with a good hit of acidity - timeless and an amazing bottle of bordeaux.
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Décanté 1h30 avant consommation.Robe encore bien ferme malgré son âge.Le bouquet offre des senteurs de menthol,de cèdre et surtout de crème de cassis,marqueur du cabernet sauvignon en vin vieux.La bouche offre une typicité Margaux qui saute aux yeux avec cette allure féminine très élégante.Cette bouteille affiche sa classe mais on perçoit un léger creux en milieu de bouche ce qui atténue un peu sa cotation finale.Effet millésime vraisemblablement.Néanmoins un excellent flacon !!!
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Floral and typical Margaux aromas, with leather, herbs and pencil. Soft, feminine and developed on the palate, still with a lot of punch and concentration.
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Delicious, classic Bordeaux nose of graphite, tobacco, green peppercorns, plums, and red currents. A lush, silliness gives way to a slightly harsh finish. Amazing wine for 38 years old. Still has great life ahead of it.
After three hours, it takes on an exotic smokey jambon character, Rose petals, and candied cherries. Just an amazing Bordeaux.
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Wine Workshop: Chateau Margaux (Gabriel Kreuther): Another absolute favorite of the tasting for me and a wine that I have quite enjoyed in the past. It’s again more of that pretty style. Very classic. Light raspberry and fresh and a tasty and with that beauty of an easy well aged wine that is still somewhat light on the feet but has all of the right flavors. Happy to see that we have a few left in our cellar. Quite enjoyable.
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Perfumed and generous Margaux aromas with flowers, herbs, leather and pencil. Soft and developed on the palate with great concentration. But as always with the great Margaux wines: the nose is best.
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My second of 2 bottles from auction, this again delivered. Having tasted a few contenders from 1985 recently, I do feel this is probably the wine of the vintage. The nose is glorious and deeply perfumed, but lacking the delicate Margaux floral notes. The Cabernet is dominant on the palate with earth and spice. The finish is its Achille's heel, and is a little unbalanced and over harsh. It is important to decant the wine, and it really only bursts into life after 3 hours in the decanter. However, in spite of the criticism, it is a wonderful wine, and more than worthy of its first growth status in a challenging vintage.
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Beautiful wine. Needed 2 hours in the decanter to start to show its depth. 1985 is a great and subtle vintage for Bordeaux and this is a superb example. Always evolving, perfect with a reverse seared steak. So different from modern Bordeaux
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CDV) A l’oeil, il est foncé, opaque, on dirait le sud! Comme au nez, solaire, cuiré, fruits noirs et epices, cèdre, cèpe, poivron fumé. L’intensité est remarquable, l’énergie palpable : impressionnant pour un vin qui approche les 40 ans sur un millésime qui n’evoque pas la légende. En bouche, la matière est restée un peu fluide, et si l’attaque promet encore, le milieu de bouche est un peu creux, manque de chair, alors que la finale s’etire. Sans doute 3/5 ans de trop, mais il en donne encore beaucoup! De façon très subjective, Il a un petit coté vieux mourvèdre (cuir, confiture de mûre), l’acidité et le cèdre bordelais en plus!
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blind, together with Monte Bello 85 and La Landonne 85 I guessed the common ground was the grape variety namely Syrah but I was only one third was correct. For me close to his peak, balanced a bit short for a really "big" wine. Love the roasted aromas. 93-94
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Always a lovely wine and this was no different. Drinking very well. Dark red fruit and a hint of spice and more cigar smoke. Glad to see we have a few more of these.
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Rust red color. Shoe leather, light oak, mulberry, tart cranberry and a medley of herbaceous notes. Chalky tannins glide across the palate in this light weight wine with brûléed flavors intertwined and a slight hint of dried fruits. After reading other comments, we’ll decant and wait a few hours before enjoying to see where that takes the wine.
p.s. reversed seared grilled veal chops with sauerkraut pierogis and charred broccoli
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I studied tasting notes from fellow reviewers, and I followed some common advice and decanted this for 3 hours, but it took an hour in the glass to come alive. If it wasn't a Margaux I probably would have been more generous, but it lacked the delicacy and floral characteristics I love in Margaux. I wonder if the 1995 might be similar in 10 years time. That said, it is a magnificent wine, worthy of its first growth status and possibly the wine of the vintage. Light red berry fruits are displayed, but tobacco and spice from the Cabernet are prominent. The nose is mature and worthy of a perfect score. The depth and balance on the palate and finish are impeccable, but residual tannin distracts from the finish. I would assume that there is now bottle variation and on a lucky day this could rate another 2 points. 96+
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Chateau Margaux 1985. Fullstendig herpa label - ofte et godt tegn.😊 Aldri smakt en bra Chateau Margaux - endelig er tiden inne! En helt fantastisk flaske. Mørke bær, sigarboks, lær, krydder, tørket frukt og litt sjokolade i blomsterenga. Silkeføre i anslaget. Denne er helt på topp nå. Sømløs, elegant og rett og slett helt magisk. Er mange lag her og det skjer noe spennende i glasset hele tiden. Pen dybde og nok struktur fortsatt til å holde vinen sammen Frukten holder stand og tanninene er helt finslipte. Utrolig sofistikert og elegant vin som ender i en meget lang finish. Dette kunne jeg drukket hver dag. 96p+
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Fine Wines SG - Bordeaux 1985 Grand Cru Discovery Pack (Fine Wines SG): Somewhat pale garnet with browning fading edges. Overtones of mint, herbs, and dried grass on the nose, then dark florals, pepper, a Chinese treebark herbal feel, and there seems to be a black fruited, plummy hint. Flavours seem to be Chinese herbs dominated, then dark florals, underripe blackberry and cassis, and then the nutmeg and pepper spices, and a seemingly tannic tea-like feel. Medium length
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Like every '85 Margaux I have had, this was stunning.
If there's one lesson I've learned about Margaux it's that it always needs far more air than other first growths. On opening it is relatively pedestrian, unlike, say, a Latour which will knock your socks off as soon as the cork pops. True to form, this took at least 2 hours in the decanter to fully open up, but fortunately it was timed perfectly for the arrival of the steak course.
Remarkably fresh and vibrant, consistent with previous notes. Extraordinarily perfumed. An absolute delight. Day two (there was only about a third of the bottle left) was just as good if not slightly better, suggesting this wine is nowhere near beginning a decline. Don't wait though; it is too good now.
The 1983 can be better than this, but it's not as reliable in my experience. This wine always delivers.
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Perfectly stored and acquired on release. In prime and needs to be drank soon. This has perfect balance and the only thing holding this back is the finish. No need to hold further. In a good spot
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Low neck fill. Quintesential old Bordeaux. If you have this in your cellar, please open it. It will hold, but it is wonderful now, and will not likely improve. Fabulous nose and palate and a finish that lingers.
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Recent purchase from Benchmark. Perfect fill and cork. Opened and followed over the course of several hours. I really enjoyed this. The wine showed the typical tertiary notes of a bordeaux of this age. However, there were plenty of light red fruits to combine with the tobacco and graphite. An excellent and balanced wine, but I'd hoped for more.
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Past prime, definitely far down age curve. Smokiness, stewed fruits, damp everything on nose, borderline unpleasant / heat damage scents. Just a whiff of violets once during evening, and then gone. Palate is redemption. Fruit still here, plus some forest undergrowth. Acidity is backbone and pleasantly resolved tannins for most part (although a few sips yielded surprisingly strong astringency, while others didn't). Structure is the reminder of this wine's pedigree. That even a 35+ year old wine from an off vintage from a (perhaps) imperfect bottle (see below) can still hold up reasonably well.
Provenance maybe part of issue. Cork soaked through but came out in-tact. Fill slightly off. Purchased loose in Hong Kong from decent reseller, but had US import label which means the bottle has earned some frequently flier miles. I think perhaps exposed to a little heat that could explain the accelerated ageing process and off flavours on the nose.
For context, I also own a case of 83 Margaux cellared in perfect condition, drank 9/12 bottles so far. All superb. Last try was mid-2020. 4 hour decant still called for there. I know 83 is superior to 85, but I suspect I had a slightly off bottle here so fyi. If you're drinking your 1985 from a case or have owned a long time or just have better luck with a loose bottle condition, my guess is your 1985 will be better than mine.
Had this been from a Margaux that is 20+ years instead of a 30+ year off vintage, I probably would've rated it mid 80s on nose, mouthfeel and palate alone.
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Another great bottle of this great vintage for Chateau Margaux. Umami, sexy lush red fruit really draws you in, some crazy funky centre of strawberry jam with good acidity to it. Feels like for the money this is one of the Chateau Margaux to seek out.
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[Blind] Initially showing quite heavy and intense, yielding to more classic although still dense. Think dark chocolate covered cherries. This has another 30 years to develop and unwind. This reminds me more of Haut-Brion with all its red cedar spice. Not obviously floral in the stereotypical Margaux fashion, more of a sort of pine resin. Unresolved tannin. A big and youthful wine still, although pretty content drinking one now.
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Post-Christmas Dinner at home with friends (At home): Popped and poured, because I wasn't sure if it needed (or indeed, would survive) decanting. Out of the bottle, the nose is a gorgeous, complex bouquet of cut summer flowers, ripe red berries, aged leather and shaded forest floor. Medium bodied, the fruit has a vibrancy and precision of a wine half its age, with layers of bright red fruit giving it an intense, uplifting finish. But this was just the first 15 minutes. Later, what remained was just a nice but somewhat muted old Bordeaux. Over the last 10 years or so, this wine has brought much pleasure. And this was the last bottle.
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Not at the level of a spellbinding bottle of this wine a few months ago. This time it showed a little more structure than flamboyance and had a tiny nod of Pauillac aspects with some pencil shaving, cigar box. Sweetened up a bit with time in the decanter and the last glass was the best.
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Perfect dark garnet , with very little fading at the rims. Blackberry, blueberry, tobacco and cedar nose, with hints of raspberry and mushrooms. Very dense on the palate, with lots of umami giving it that onctous mouthfeel, complemented by that vanilla touch that remains in old wines when high class oak has been used. Very well balanced, with noteable acidity and very fine and elegant tannins. Taste lingers for minutes on your tongue. Very fine plus.
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WOTN in a lovely line-up and this bottle was practically perfect so not sure why I am being stingy and not giving it full marks. Opened two hours before serving and decanted half an hour before we started getting stuck in. The sexiest red berry, umami like sesame oil qualities, just wow! There were several attacks on the palate with an endless and seamless finish. Despite so many good to great bottles that night the Margaux stood there like a mountain and just said you ain't going to pass me today. Sensational and if this was representative and all good bottles out there are like this I would be a big buyer. But with this age I feel we might have been particularly lucky with how this showed.
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Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Palmer, Mouton, Cos...): Pas de notes formelles, une des bouteilles non chemisées après la dégustation. Très bon souvenir d'un vin parvenu à maturité et qui a encore de belles années devant lui. Classe et complexité, très belle longueur. 94-95
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Even though Palmer is considered one of the best in Margaux region, nothing beats the finesse of its only first growth chateau. Aromas of sweet blackberry and black cherries, dusty cedar wood, spice and leather. Palate was filled with black fruits, elegant but strong underlying tannind and lively acidity that ended with a powerful finish. more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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This vintage showed a lot more fruit and a lot less of that bdx funk than that other Margaux I’ve had. I was surprised but really enjoyed this bottle. I’d say this is a bit of a sleeper vintage and would be a great bottle to share with friends that prefer Napa over bordeaux
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From a magnum gifted to me by the owner in 1995 and thought my son’s 16th was a good time to drink it! Brick ruby, touch of separation at the rim. Beautiful mellow cedary and black currant nose. Some soil, mushroom, soya, leather. Late secondary characteristics is full force! Such lovely balance and persistence on the palate. Welcoming and just gently coats the palate with its sweet mellow and long fruit. Great length, glorious and a happy bottle to share on a happy occasion which added to its enjoyment with the extended family.
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Quite good. Very classic in all regards. Elegant also in an earthy way, kind of like a classy yet granola like young lady. Lots of tobacco, cedar, not a ton of fruit, but enough to keep it interesting. Structure is largely gone, I would drink up. But still a very worthy bottle.
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Bordeaux 1985 Grand Tour; 5/5/2017-10/20/2023: Tightly coiled on opening with waves of complexity waiting to unfold, but only showed fully after a 60 min decant. Beguiling nose of perfume framed against a classic Bordeaux backdrop of funk and mushrooms. In the glass, it displayed an ethereal, silky viscosity and when swirled, more legs than a millipede which then lined themselves up along the wall of the glass in great uniformity.
This wine continued to evolve over the next 2 hours, all the while maintaining exceptional lift and freshness. Flowers, cedar and perfume emerged at various points to present a lush and seductive potion. Tannins while well-resolved were still extremely grippy on the finish, which was long and mouth coating.
Drink now.
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Fantastic wine, don't let it decant, subtle and full of life directly from the bottle. Black Currant, earthy notes in the nose, soft tannins, more Black Currant and mushrooms in the taste
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On a night of some truly magnificent wines. Yes yes yes, this is what I remembered from many years back. An almost complete wine with a coolness on the nose, but still trademark Margaux elements and a regal quality in combination with the lush fruitiness of the vintage, if that makes sense to anyone. I had this wine two other times this past six months and those other two were underwhelming. Apparantly there is some bottle variation, so I understand if other are less impressed than I was.
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Enthusiastically approved WOTN at an annual wine dinner of friends. We were worried the fruit might be fading age 33 but such concerns were misplaced. Remarkable nose of black cherry, spice, and a subtle hint of truffle. Seemingly endless finish. 5+ years of pleasure easily await the patient.
If a date, this was a 45 year old lingerie designing executive who mesmerizes with brains, captivating beauty and sexuality.
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Opened at Thanksgiving to enjoy our blessings in life. Paired perfectly with grilled burgers from the green egg. This bottle was superb. Way beyond peak, but, a classic rendition of a very aged wine. So ready to drink, and, would not wait any longer. Medium, ruby red color. Major rim variation in the glass. No flaws. Moderate sediment. Faint to mild old world nose. Classic Bordeaux. Low tannin. Low acid. Low alcohol. Short finish. Earns this rating just for holding up over time, and, allowing us to experience a truly aged wine.
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Everything's in place here. Soft tobacco and leather on the nose, red fruit in perfect balance with the acid and remaining fine tannins, great length. Subtle and refined, but somehow missing a little verve.
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Vertical blind tasting. Drinking well now. Fully mature with notes of cigar box, autumn leaves, barnyard, cedar. Elegant and light palate. A grand Margaux.
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Bordeaux with Les Trois Garcons (Östermalmsgatan, Stockholm): Initially I suspected something was slightly off with this bottle. Lots of murky wood and damp cellar but this gradually faded over the first 2 hours and eventually dissapeared, leaving an increadibly beautiful wine. On the nose classic cassis, some spice and sandalwood. Some development but still quite youthfull. After 3-4 hours mushrooms, hints of cola beans, fine tobacco and very light coffe. On the palate perfectly balanced, elegant and silky, oozing sophistication and finesse but with a beautiful, sweet fruit to it. Increadibly vital and energetic, with lots of spicebox, cassis, raspberries and some herbs. This is not the most powerfull wine - Greta Garbo, not Anita Ekberg. I kept repeating balance, finesse, etc. One of my greatest wine experiences ever. Pure bliss! Very impressive staying power. Kept developing and revealing new stuff for 6+ hours. Starting to fade a bit after 7+. Make sure to give this plenty of time to open up. WOTN.
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Wonderful wine. Develops considerably over time in the glass. Above all balance. And elegance. One of the best wine I have ever tasted. This is what great wine is all about. Wow!
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Tremendous complex spiciness in the nose: curry leaf, bay leaf, charcoal, chocolate shortbread. Gorgeous, lush, a hedonist's dream, soft and really,I dont see it getting better, though given the lingering finish, should hold here 5-10 years.
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Château Margaux Vertical (Chef's Club NYC): This is more in the style of the ‘90 with an opulence and ripeness to the red and black berry fruit on the nose. Also some damp soil and smoke in this one. Aromatically nuanced. On the palate this has sweet mocha in the blueberry fruit. Blackberry tannin. Given that the ‘82 is NFG this ‘85 is stealing the flight and probably slightly edges out the '90 for wine of the night given the greater complexity and terroir influence in addition to the fruit. Very happy with this.
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Very young. Little, if any bricking. Nose was somewhat subdued, with some dark fruits, and some light cigar box. Opened up after a couple hours, with strong fruits, moderate tannins, medium body, but still didnt have a ton of tertiary notes. Very elegant and refined. Quite nice. Frankly, given the fruit and tannins, a well stored bottle should drink well for another 15-20 years, or longer.
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Not only was this a classic Ch. Margaux in the first 90 minutes - silky, floaty and super finessed - but, after a couple of hours in the decanter, began to take on some peppery notes both on nose and palate which was a real surprise, albeit a welcome one. I had to ask Terry, the Head Sommelier at 67PM, whether I was hallucinating and whether he believed it to be a genuine specimen. Fortunately he answered “no” and “yes” in that order. Exceptional wine.
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From a half bottle. I've had bad luck with Ch Margaux halves from the 1980s, having had a soy sauced 1982, two corked 1983s of various degrees, a "truffle" smelling 1986 (which now that I know better was likely also soy sauced). a mildly ok 1988, and a dull 1990, which as a 100 point should have been anything but dull. This was surely the best of the lot, perhaps not surprisingly because Margaux 1985 is possibly the wine of the vintage.
The most evident trait of this wine is balance - medium bodied, fragrant and so easy to drink, this was certainly liked by all my parents and in-laws. The nose is dominated by dried cherry, herbs, and cigar. I wouldn't say that it showed as much Margaux definition as I would like to see, but from half bottle this is probably in decline, as it may very well be from full bottle depending on storage. I recommend popping those corks!
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one step up compared to the Palmer 85 tasted next to it, super smooth and complex, long finish, different but at the same level as Palmer 90 which was for me the red-WOTN. Opened about 3h before consumption, no decant needed
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Medium-darker ruby and purple color. Super elegant and finessed, with notes of black currant, black raspberries, flowers, mineral notes, smoke, and also some cedar notes and pepper. It's medium-full bodied, dense with weightlessness and freshness, medium+ acidity and medium tannin that is silky. Excellent length.
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Palmer Vertikale: Sehr dichte Farbe. Wirklich dunkel, man könnnte meinen der Wein ist 10-15 Jahre jünger. Eine Wahnsinnsnase, Zedern, Lakritz, Zigarrenkiste, eher auf der rotbeerigen aber sehr druckvolle Seite - und alles mit einer extrem feinen Klinge. Mineralik, Mineralik, Mineralik...
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Double decanted and left open for 5+ hours consumed from hours 6-7. Tasted this monster at hour 4 and the wine still felt tight with the tannins but the fruit started to open up. At hour 6 has completed about half the bottle. When we finished the bottle around hour 7, the wine still felt like there was more to open up. I have 3 more bottles in my cellar and this feels like it could lay down for at least the next 5-10 Years. I would give this lots of time to open up next time I crack a bottle.
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Followed for about 8 hours in the decanter. Right after the cork is pulled, you get a lovely raspberry and slightly floral note. Not the complexity one expects from Margaux, but beautiful delineation and purity. With 2 hours of air, a beef-blood note emerges. At hour 5, a touch of ganache emerges. This is very good, but it's Margaux and it's 1985 - the expected complexity and interest just isn't here. I must confess to disappointment. Entirely possible that this is more compelling from large formats; this note is for a 375.
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Purchased from Christie’s at auction. A wine that was complex and also seemed past its prime. We had a 1966 as part of same lot that was in much better condition. Still fun to drink and a memorable wine.
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Similar notes to the last time I had this wine. Just a sensational, layered and fascinating nose. Much more concentrated on the palate than I remember. Dry but not drying, the tannins are in a perfect place for drinking right now. If you have any of this, drink it in the next year or so.
At its best between hours 2 and 3 in the decanter.
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Wine was opening up the whole time we were drinking it and really hadn't hit peak when we were done. Drank next to the '79 which starting out really pretty open for business with some leather and cigar and almost an oily quality. This honestly started more tight and closed down. Opened a bit. Could prob have used a decant and more time. Still, I enjoyed this. Towards the end some fig and more dried fruit. Tasty.
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A good deepish red purple color just starting to show some age on the rim, red berry and cassis on the nose at first, on the palate a seductive wine from the start, mulberries and cassis, most attractive, over the course of an hour it unfurled into a rare beauty, dark spice notes, a proper dose of oak, violets, mid-weight understated fruit and a splendid finish, great wines often have a sense of movement about them but this was quite serene, in all respects from start to finish it is simply beautiful, at this point I believe it is fully mature but as with the 1985 Mouton tasted alongside this remains quite youthful and is likely to endure and generously share its bounties for many decades to come, at this level personal preference matters as much as anything- and I will say that for me this is Bordeaux at its greatest. *****, now to 2045.
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A good wine, but not a great Margaux or 85 for me. From a perfect cellar bottle. Fairly muted nose, which shows earthy notes before faint pencil (inc cedar, which is often an 85 indicator). Very deep coloured with great density in the mouth and smooth red and dark fruit. Almost exotic, but lacking great definition of aromas and flavours. As I often find with Margaux there isn't the violets or freshness of the Palmer and the nose is pretty disappointing. I increasingly find Ch Margaux to be more like a smoother and riper St Estephe than the floral Margaux I seek. No hurry here. Smoother although less density than the 83 Margaux - for me both are of equal quality although I prefer the persistence of the 83. Drink to 2040. 94pts
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Decanted 3 hours. So aromatic with big red berry fruit and roses. Tertiary notes of dried herb, leather, lead, cedar and earth. Soft and elegant with a massive concentrated finish that goes on and on. Lingering fine tannin. Structure elegance and power. Drink now-2022.
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Bordeaux 1985 horisontal (Oslo): Blekner ved siden av Cheval Blanc. Blir litt røff og kantete. Det er vel feil å si at dette ikke er bra vin, men verdt pengene er det nok ikke.
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Perfectly mature now. Lovely deep and sweet nose. Forest floor, violets, tobacco and some green herbs. Medium bodied with a sweet and mature attack. Long fresh finish. This shows that 1985 is for the most part a better year than 1986 which never seems to become mature. This vintage is overlooked (at least by me) and delivers big time. But you probably need the big chateaux's to get this much concentration and power from 1985. Great wine!
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3rd of 6 bottles. Nice fill cork came out whole with Ah So. Slow ox'd 2 hrs decanted 1 hour, very little sediment then rebottled for diner at Bristol KC. Lovely Margaux perfume with nice dark ruby color and lovely fruit and cassis. This was after a 95 Lynch Bages at home celebrating my 60th and clearly surpassed that. A great way to get through "the 60th". Seems to be fading since last one. Will probably find some good excuse to drink up sooner than later although sure it still has a little ways to go.
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70th Birthday Dinner at Flemings with the 1985, 1986, and 1989 Chateau Margaux and 1946 Massandra, nose of black berry, plum, black cherry, black currants, black pepper and a hint of orange bell pepper, same on the palate, big body, opened big and improved consistently throughout dinner, mouth filling fruit, rich, almost elegant, lovely tasting from start of dinner to finish, always and easily above it's peers tonight, long, flavorful finish, at it's peak, fabulous with the In Bone Filet Mignon. My #1 of 3 and Group #1.
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Level is at bottle neck. An elegant, lovely and charming Margaux. Layered and sumptuous black fruits aroma with beautiful balance. Delicious palate and finish. A lovely Margaux in her own regard.
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Base neck. Color still quite good, light but all ruby red. Decanted an hour. Attacking nose, the quality really comes at you. Cassis the first thing there but loads of dark fruit with a tiny bit of cedar. Really get the class on the palate and an amazing soft mouthfeel. This has aged beautifully. I can't help but think this vintage has been underrated.
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My first aged First Growth enjoyed with my wife on 32nd Anniversary. Nice cork come out whole with Ahso and decanted about 30 minutes. Nice ruby garnet color with dark fruit and smooth mouthfeel but seemed a bit short finish. As Tinybubbles said hope this was just bottle variation that didn't quite live up to what I expected. Have a few more so will see.
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Still wonderful. I decanted about 20 minutes before we started to drink it. It held up well for over two hours. Wonderful bottle bouquet of cedar, black stonefruit, and flowers. Very soft, non-intrusive tannins. Finish is pleasant and medium long.
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Deep, dark reddish-purple garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Fragrant, aromatic & complex nose of ripe dark fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & cassis, with classic overtones of cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco & floral notes of violets, spices, herbal, earthy/dusty, truffles, leather, olives & a hint of eucalyptus/mint. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & silky smooth texture of elegant & refined, complex, rich, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blueberries & cranberries, earthy, spices, mushrooms, mocha, herbs & minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting and may hold at this plateau for several more years although I doubt it would develop significantly further.
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Drinking well. Very open with classic aromas. Quite fresh and mistook for right bank wine. Only knock was seemed a little simple, i.e. lacked great complexity.
A disappointing bottle. Ripe and sweet with wood notes on both the nose and palate. Coffee grounds and a roastiness after one hour of air time. I've found a high degree of bottle variability with this wine
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Tighter than some previous bottles. Did not show much on the nose until one hour in at which point white pepper, earth and musty notes emerged. Smooth on the palate, but lacking some depth, and with an overall sweeter profile than prior bottles that showed as more evolved.
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Enough has been said about this wine. Kind of a brave old soldier now. Beautiful, still bold, but very slightly faded. I wouldn't let these get much older
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Bought at auction so can be sure of the provenance; drank before and during a prime rib dinner the day after Christmas; drank at the same time as a bottle of '95 Margaux. Tasted at opening, 30, 60 and 120 mins after decanting; it improved a fair amount after 30-60 mins, but wasn't much better at 2 hours. The '85 was smoother than the '95, don't know if that's an aging or vintage issue. There was some bricking in the dusky plum color; Notes of plum, currant; tannins were quite subdued. I am still moving toward the conclusion that the emperor has no clothes: ie, that the cost of these vintage first growth bordeauxs can't be justified by their quality
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A great Bx, typical Margaux with silky tannins, I think at his peak, decanted for an hour, pencil, cedar, cigarbox with vanishng fruit bjt still feelable cassis, 94-95
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Blindly I put in on a high quality Bordeaux/Rioja from 70s. It tasted a bit older than I expected. Ex cellar bottle. Very integrated palate, completely melted tannins, soft, very silky flow, fine texture, medium-light body. The primary fruits have mostly faded, there is some ceder and a hint of autumal flowers and some animal aromas, but really not much. Probably not enough complexity at this point, if I am to critique it, but still excellent.
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Bottle was somewhat variable, the intense focussed fruit/candied honey of this terrior was still present, but clouded by ash and dried husks. Structure was not lively. Suspect wasnt stored that well.
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Enjoyable but simple. Did not exhibit the definition or complexity of the last bottle. Somewhat musty with dry fruit and light soil notes. Decanted 30 minutes, consumed over the following 1.5 hours. 91-92
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Tasted blind. Clearly aged, mature, slightly maroon red color with faint purple highlights; surprisingly opaque color. Mature, meaty nose with slightly rustic and even stinky hints; dried blackcurrant, leather and animal on the fore with tobacco, sous-bois, some floral perfume and a hint of graphite in the background. Overall very complex and elegant appearance with a hint of arrogance and attitude. Generous in the mouth; the palate is definitely mature, but still holds on to youthful characteristics. Complex, layered taste with flavors of dried blackcurrants and prunes, some leather, notes of dried dark fruits and hints of clove spice and cedar. Tannins are still quite tough, but the mouthfeel is silky smooth. Acidity is still going strong, giving the wine nice, lively lift. Hints of dark, ripe cherry sweetness in the tip of the tongue. Long, ample and mature yet dry and structured finish with pronounced acidity, dark and withered fruits, raisined dark grapes and berries, some figs and faint aromatic florality.
A fantastic experience showcasing what a mature Bordeaux really can be. The wine still has both structure and energy and the aromatic depth and complexity is perplexing. However, given its age, the wine is definitely very mature - I've had more youthful Bordeaux that have been only a couple of years older and I've had Barolos as mature as this, but from the early 1970's and late 1960's. Thus, I'd say that the wine has reached its peak some while ago, and while it still might stay there for quite a while, it probably won't evolve much further. As this was served blind, I guessed this was Bordeaux, but given my previous experiences, I guessed initially this would have been much older - so in a sense, this is in a surprisingly mature phase already. Drink up now, I'd say.
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A private dinner (Restaurant Behrens Am Kai *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Perfect mature claret nose, cedar, gravel, wonderful definition and depth; elegant and sweet palate, superb harmony and elegance, generous and feminine, very good length. In perfect shape, a true 1985.
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This was truly outstanding this weekend. We had this bottle (my last one, sadly) as part of a Chateau Margaux vertical and dinner event at a friend's house. We did two flights of Margaux: the first featured '78, '83, and '85. The second had '88, '01 and '04. For me, the 1985 was at the top. This is a wine that still shows enough tannin and stuffing to age for decades still. But at this point the wine is quite enjoyable (even more so with food). The fruit remains powerful and towards the black side of the spectrum. There is some pencil shavings (or lead and cedar if you prefer). The wine is long and balanced. The nose is quite perfumed. The '83 was pretty much equally as good qualitatively, but side-by-side something brought me back to the '85 more often. Top notch Margaux!!!
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Another great Bordeaux. More primary aromas of red and black fruit, but with a hint of earth and some of that Margaux exoticism, and a bit of bell pepper as well. Elegant and youthful on the palate. Very nice indeed.
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A stunning amount of structure left in this 30 year old bottle. Stubborn tannins are sill pulling on you on the way out, along the long finish..Lacked depth and stuffing in the mid palate, but has the bones to last a long, long time. DRINK or hold.
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Absolutely fantastic. Floral nose with earth supporting, perfect balance and purity with great fruit left. I had this marked as 'Love++' so I know it was good.
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Splash decanted and drank with friends at a local restaurant. deep ruby in color with no sediment, this wine is fully mature. black cherry and raspberry with a solid accent of Asian spice, this wine is typically Ch. Margaux in walking the line of power and finesse.
If a date, this was a newly retired 45 year old beauty who had a successful 20 year career in a cutthroat industry because she used both brains and considerable sexual charm to full personal advantage. You hope the date never ends but it ends with her cooking you breakfast at her house
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Souper de 50 ans à la maison: Simplement épaulée plusieurs heures. Un nez fascinant, parfumé et subtil, très typé des vieux grands vins du Médoc. D'une grande finesse, avec de classiques notes de cèdre et tabac, boite à cigare, fumée et prunes. En bouche, il montre encore une belle vigueur tannique et une jeunesse superbe, il parait beaucoup plus jeune que la dernière prise en mai dernier à la verticale. Une finale sur la menthe, un brin sèche, mais envoûtante. 96 pts
Sans doute le plus beau nez de la soirée.
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The Godfather Turns Sixty: Go Big or Go Home - Rousseau, Margaux, Lynch, a Trio '02 Champagnes and More! (La Belle Vie, Mpls): VEry dark red/purple color, subtle 3mm margin. Decanted for about 40 minutes tableside. 70+ml pour aver 90 minutes plus. I've said it before, and I'm pretty sure I'll say it again, Margaux is like sex in a glass. It just comes over you in waves and hits you in all the right spots, reverberating on and on. This has such a lovely bouquet, ready to go, yet could have taken even more air. Holy crap, what a nose, wow, an ethereal mix of damp and dry earthy forest floor, a mix of red and black fruits, violets, perfumed,. The palate is just gorgeous, young at 30 years but offering itself so freely for us to appreciate. The fruit is dark and ripe, layers of cassis and mulberry, but so sleek, supple, and well integrated into the minerally, spiced, chocolate back end. Long, so long... I wish it would never end. Thanks so much Brad for sharing this beauty.
°°° Bordeaux 1985 °°° (Emmen, Switzerland): Intensive clear red. Nose shows cherries and leather. Great balance and good length but at the same time a bit burgoise and suffering from the dry tannins. Did expect more as I already scored this wine with 95pts. Drink now - 2030
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At Il Mondo Veccchio in Madison with Bob M, celebrating his retirement. Special wine for a special moment...splash decanted at the restaurant. Let it open for 30 minutes before drinking. Drank before/next to an 03 Leoville Poyferre. Had started to show after 15 minutes, 45 in it was really open.
Color still red/garnet. Mild bricking at the edges. Nose was dusted red and dark fruits, earth, floral/lavender. Palate of dusted dark fruits, currants. The is a floral/lavender/violet in the mid palate that is classic Ch Margaux. Texture was soft and silky.
Fully mature, Bordeaux at its finest...at 30 years old this is drinking beautifully but likely has a good arc ahead of it (another 10-15+?). This is why we let these wines mature, really special bottle...
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85 Claret (La Trompette, London): Blind. Dark and dense, even slightly more brooding than the LLC. There's a florality and violet scented core that's currently clothed in mineral and intrigue. A tannic clip to the finish. Margaux? Starts to open up but needs a few years yet. Probably never as complete or joyous or satisfying as the Palmer, but a serious wine with a density and gravitas. ***(*1/2)
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At age 30, this is in the perfect place to experience its soft, silky, fresh, sweet, red and black fruit pleasures. Elegant, medium/full bodied, with a complex nose and regal, cherry toned finish, there is no reason to pull a cork if you have a bottle. This bottle showed a bit better than some examples as it came directly from the chateau and had not been moved since it was bottled.
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BYO at Goosefoot (Chicago): Best in the lineup. Fully mature and open nose of red fruit, chocolate, some coffee and asphalt. Sweet and silky on the palate. Gorgeous depth and grip on the long finish. Beautiful.
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Verticale du Château Margaux: Un nez évolué, tertiaire mais charmeur, avec ses notes de cuir, de fougère, d'herbes grillées. La bouche est d'une magnifique texture dans un style austère, mais d'une élégance princière. Il est peut-être un peu évolué, mais se révèle d'une grande complexité, avec une superbe longueur. J'ignore si la bouteilles est au top de ce qu'elle devrait être ou si le vin le vin amorce tranquillement son déclin. En l'état, il reste tout de même grand, quoique à boire sans trop tarder. 94 pts
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Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Lafite...) (Vessy): Une des couleurs les plus sombres. Nez d'abord retenu, s'ouvrant après 30 minutes dans le verre. Arômes de fruits rouges et noirs, de fleurs. Le toucher en bouche est exceptionnel, très soyeux, féminin. La finale est très longue, élancée grâce à des tanins fins.
Sur la base de cette bouteille, le vin a encore de belles années à vivre. Reconnu margaux.
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Not a classic Margaux for the ages but drinking perfectly tonight. Soft, ripe and so elegant with more reddish fruits with hints of olives and Asian spices. The tannins have melted away here and the wine is in such a good drinking spot tonight that of all the vintages we drank, this is probably the one I'd take to dinner tonight. So pretty and very ready to drink.
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While not technically the best wine at the dinner, relative to its potential this wine may have been in the best spot. Smooth and enjoyable, paired well with roast veal. Strong white and bell pepper, menthol and mint notes, with balanced spice. Now is a great time to drink this one.
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Second Sunday Group: Margaux (M's): Herb, green currants, red berry and tobacco aromas. Soft tannins are still present. Flavors of red currants, cassis and florals. With air this takes on a very distinct eucalyptus note with underlying red fruit and florals. I wonder if this could be an older Heitz Martha's? Long finish dominated by dark fruit and floral qualities. Got better as it sat, and would have taken my top spot had I been one of the last to turn in my rankings. 93-94+ pts.
My #2, Domino's #4 Group #2, 39 pts
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Consumed @ Food Affair with HJ. There was some seepage out of the cork, but I was so relieved that the bottle wasn't ruined. Smells a little like Chinese medicine. Smooth and a little smokey. Balanced in every way. Nose got more and more complex in the glass. Herby finish. The bottle went by so quickly. I don't know how it could have been any better than this.
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donker rood van kleur, klassieke neus, potlood, klein beetje riool lucht, sigarenkistje, rijp rood fruit, zachte tonen, zwoel, goed geouderd, nu nog prima drinkbaar, loopt wel naar zijn einde toe, 5 of 6 jaar nog wel te gaan
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Bordeaux dinner - first growths, blancs and d'Yquem. Bottle, fill and cork all good -(label water damaged). Excellent and one of the best tonight. Beautiful perfumed aromatics with barnyard, earth etc.. This was breathing for about 4 hours before dinner - the Margaux barnyard scents blow off with time. Should last a few more decades, but superb now.
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Dinner at home with Mrs L, PH, VK and Ms C (At home): This bottle is somewhat less expressive compared to previous bottles. Classic tell-tale floral mineral nose, still a very fine, elegant mature Bordeaux that is fully mature and drinking nicely. Coming up to 30 years of age; drink up!
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Bordeaux 1985 as main theme (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Beautiful and very tempting bouquet with black fruits, cedar, smoke etc. On the palate the same flavors as well as some chocolate. Beautiful harmony also with the acidity and soft tannin with still a nice bite. Exclusive, refined, complex and feminine. This bottle could have last several more years.
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Ruby color. This wine was decanted 4 hours. No browning. Oak on the nose. Classic left bank bordeaux nose. 1985 was a good year. Cassis, cedar and some barnyard components on the nose. On the palate, surprisingly massive for a Margaux, generally known for its lighter, elegant, floral, violet, perfumed wines. On the palate, initially hard. Cedar and tobacco. Well balanced. Turned silky. Like a Latour with its minerality, power, structure and dryness. Medium tannins, but soft. Great mouthfeel. Will improve over the next 20 years, but drinking nicely now. 18++
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Big Bordeaux Event VI (Kevin's House (Minneapolis)): Excellent and wine of the night. Blueberries, cherry, dust, gravel and stones. Nice charcoal element on the palate and super long, concentrated finish. This should be enjoyed now but it might not hurt to hold for a few years. Decanted 4 hours.
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Big Bordeaux VI: Margaux; 11/2/2013-11/3/2013 (Kevin's house): A 4 hour decant. Sweet red bell pepper, savory red fruit and spice on the nose. Lush complex taste of red fruit on a charred earth backbone. There's a lot going on here, but to quibble, a little too much bell pepper.
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Big Bordeaux VI: Stars of Margaux including '85 & '95 Margaux, '85 & '96 Palmer, Plus 1988 d'Yquem & More (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Purple red color. 4hr decant, 2oz pour. Spectacular nose, perfumed, violets, sandalwood, leather, cedar plank, spice, cassis, dark berries. The palate is just gorgeous, supple, caressing, crushed stones, full body, cassis, dark berries, finishing very, very long - 60s plus. This is fully mature and in a wonderful place right now, yet it still has a good bit of life left. I would be confident in 5-10 years with good storage. 95+pts, my and group WOTN.
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This is drinking real good now. Still very youthful and full of flavor. Opened and decanted for 5 hours seemed to be a perfect amount of time. This wine is complex and smooth. I could still taste it the next day that's how much power this baby packs. I will repurchase this wine. Have to have again.
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Angela's Belated Birthday Dinner (Crown Wine Cellars, 18 Deep Water Bay Drive, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Decanted for 3 hours then drank over the next 3 hours. Colour is ox-blood and still fully opaque except for the smallest transparent meniscus. Nose is soft and caressing, with initially quite reticent but deep red currant fruit, damp loam, kirsch notes, graphite....it just balloons with growing complexity in the glass. Wow, such linear purity, heady....oh, gosh! Oh....I can't stop sniffing it and don't even want to start drinking it....mesmerising. Palate is clean, clear and precise....absolutely poised....great acidic balance and charming femininity of black and red currants and berries. Extremely defined balance and tension of evolved tannin, fruit and acidity.Beautiful pencil-point sharpness of definition. Concentrated but very feminine. This is absolutely harmonious and in its perfect drinking window. A lighter vintage of Ch. Margaux but gorgeously feminine and compelling. It drank perfectly with rare-grilled herb-crusted rack of lamb. A treasure for drinking now. Thanks, Greg! 96-97.
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Dream tasting (@ Merlet): Refined and mature bouquet, at first a bit musty, but that disappears quite quickly. Then earth, mushrooms, tobacco and sweet oak. On the palate still some red and dark berries, smoke, some pleasant bell pepper, luxurious oak, good acidity and melted tannin. Enormous length and completely ready. A beauty!
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Dreamtasting #5 (Restaurant Merlet, Schoorl): (*) Gorgeous perfume, tiny red berries and currants, cigarillos. Distant hints of cappucino, wet soil and undergrowth, dried black cherries and fresh cranberries. Airy and light on its feet, yet very persuasive and demanding attention. Weighty, well structured mid-palate. Fantastic in its definition, fine grained acidity, maximum integration of tannines and structure. In the middle of its drinking plateau, will hold up for several years to come. This is all about balance and harmony, this is ultimate elegance..., magnificant! 19/20
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From 750 with fill into bottom neck. Still very youthful and in an extended plane of maturity. Iron on the nose and palate initially. Fruit really blossoms after an hour of air. Impeccable balance, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. Bordeaux doesn't get much better tan this!
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Another terrific bottle, the 85 margaux is just sailing along nicely. Popped and poured the floral perfumed nose gives way to warm toasty notes of red and dark berries on the velvety palate. Just another reason to be nostalgic for the 1980s, before money and science (and climate change?) enabled all and sundry to make good wines year in and year out, so great wines like this from a not-so-great year, opened nearly 3 decades later, are that rare and delightful gift of luck!
Bright red. Hints of smoke, leather, coffee and licorice. Taste of strawberries. Very elegant w/o giving away any of the complexity. Classical claret and for sure one of the great old style 1985 Bordeaux. No hurry. Drink - 2025.
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Perfectly mature light garnet and brick color. Nose of earthy licorice and red fruit with a hint of chocolate. The mouthfeel is light and velvety. Great initial flavors of red fruits and grilled mushrooms, but I was honestly a little disappointed with the very short aftertaste. Still a wonderful wine but... This was served along side 1985 Heitz Martha's Vineyard. Very close comparison but I think the aftertaste made the difference for me and I have to say the Heitz was marginally better.
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Considerably better than the last bottle. Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Great nose of bright red fruit, flowers, leather, sweet tobacco and earth. The palate matched with wonderful freshness and a full, round silky texture. Layered. A nice long finish with a touch of herb. Great wine.
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A pronounced smell of violets, black raspberries, earth, tobacco and cherry open to a soft, voluptuous, round wine. Probably close to fully mature, this is drinking in its sweet spot. The only minor drawback might be a bit of rusticity in the tannins and a hint of green herbs in the otherwise, sweet, cherry finish.
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From 750ml, VTS fill: stood bottle for 9 hours, slow ox'd 90 mins, poured into decanter and served. Amazingly consistent with my 12/10/2012 note. I cannot find a seam to discuss! Ruby red in color, magnificent purity in appearance. Soft, earthy, pretty perfume on the nose. Once again: pure, sweet, full, round synchronicity on the palate. Medium-plus finish. She is an elegant doll - drink soon (no reason to wait).
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bottle and fill excellent, cork was soaked most of the way up. Excellent aged bordeaux, alot of life left, seemed best after about 3 hours in the decanter. Should last a very long time, but I am glad we tried this sooner given the cork.
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It is simply spectacular what fully mature, wonderfully crafted wine can be. Ruby red in color, magnificent purity in appearance. There is nothing "OMG" (or LOL, for that matter!) about the taste of this wine, other than the brilliance of purity and its sweet, round synchronicity. All I could think was that old cliche "[much!] greater than the sum of its parts." It's terrific, and it makes you believe it really might taste like this forever. That said, probably wise to enjoy this sooner than later. If its finish was a bit longer, or weightier, I'd have easily given 96pts.
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The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. Well balanced, Blueberry, Black currant (cassis), Prune, Espresso. Distinct notes of Violet, and Lavender pops out. The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Silky texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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I was again in the minority. Not one of my favorite Margaux's, but still a nice Margaux. Blown away by the 86 Lafleur served with it and the 86 Gruaud before it.
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Drank over 2 hours. The nose was the best part of this wine. Sweet tobacco, leather, some earth and sweet dark fruit. Very pretty. The palate somehow seemed burnt and a bit tart with more earth and dark fruit. Silky texture and full in the mouth. Long finish but shorter than I expected. Maybe this wasn't the best example.
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Earth, smoke, tobacco, cassis, herbs, truffle, tobacco and an odd sensation of tomato created the aromatics. The wine is sweet, soft and round, but there was a bit of roughness to the tannins with a minor touch of green in the cassis and blackberry dominated finish. Even with its faults, or virtues, depending on what you like in a wine, this charming Bordeaux wine is ready to drink and offers a lot of pleasure.
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The second time in a short period I have been lucky enough to taste this amazing wine:-) The nose was right out of the bottle extremely lovely and balanced with clear tones of dark fruit, smoke, leather and cigar-box all in perfect harmony. The Palet was ultra-smooth and so soft and velvet and the finish was hitting on all the cylinders and really hanging on for a nice long while. This second bottle was just amazing and I will never forget this one with its sexy still elegant style:-=)
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The wine took a long time to open up and show its true colors. Ripe dark berries, kirsch,slight floral hints on the nose. Medium to full bodied but the finish was not as impressive.
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The nose was a first glims pushing me towards maybe Toscana cab but with a little bit of air the Pauillac showed more with leather and cigarbox but there was quite a bit of spices on the nose also with was also present on the pallet! the wine was somewhat sweet and diffidently the most "sweet" of the 5 big ones I have tasted yet but is was a brilliant wine with a lot of intensity and still quite powerful and the notes on both the nose and the palet kept on developing and he finish was a real blockbuster with long persistency! Although the spices was a bit out of order for me and hence the "low" score for this wine that is supposed to be the wintage-winner!
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Bordeaux Søskenparsmaking (Moss, Norway): Dårlig kork. Dyp rød/brunrød med oransje kant. Floral, fin nese av sopp, jord og med et lett honningpreg. Bløt, saftig frukt med svakt hint av rosin. God vin, men dessverre ikke helt bra flaske.
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Bordeaux Siblings (Moss, Norway): Cork was moldy and broke into many pieces. Champignon, forest floor, mature berries, complex, elegant, some sweetness. Although a very good wine, it was too developed, stored incorrectly?
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Dinner with Mrs and LH (On Lot 10, Hong Kong): Floral perfume of Margaux strikes again in yet another pleasant encounter with what is now firmly shaping up as one of my clear favourite Bordeaux from the 80's. Dark fruits, currants and minerals were also in the delightful mix of flavours present in this genteel, silky wine. Drinking very nicely -- I've been lucky with these bottles
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An amazing meal (Rhys, SQN, KB, Margaux, Angelus, Ducru, Kalin): Slow-oxed for an hour and then decanted for about an hour. This was delicious. Showing quite well and seemingly at peak. Cassis, a bit of toast, and a floral perfumed note on the nose. This is layered and complex, while showing no signs of being past prime. Excellent with dinner this is restrained yet vibrant. Wonderful wine.
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This is the perfect time to catch this medium/full bodied wine. With its tobacco, truffle, smoke, forest floor, blackberry, leaf and earthy perfume, soft, elegant, refined textures and long, sweet, velvety finish, this is drinking beautifully today. I'd drink it over the next 10-15 years.
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Popped this for my wife's birthday. Decanted for about an hour and a half and paired with lamb.
This wine was sensational. Layers of violets and cherries, followed by a very pronounced beef jus flavor. Then redwood forest floor, charcoal, pencil lead and earth. A tinge of apricot perhaps, mixed with a pruney tobacco aroma. A hint of menthol and bracing sea air. Every glass threw up something new- there were so many layers of flavor it's impossible to list them all.
The real treat for me comes on the palate and the finish. It's tremendously full and rich, and coats the inside of your mouth in a kind of silken loveliness. The finish goes on for ages. This wine is fabulous right now but should hold at this level for a few more years yet. I think I will have to buy some more.
I rated a 96- my wife says 98. It's her birthday so we'll say 98.
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91 -- at best. In the last month, I have had a '97 Cos and an '82 du Tertre, both of which I am confident would best this in a blind tasting. Yes' 97 was an off-year, and yes, du Tertre is not in the same class as Margaux., but I was a bit underwhelmed by this bottle.
Comparisons aside, a well-integrated bottle, that I suspect was at its prime a few years ago. Not too much fruit in my bottle. It did not have the richness and perfume that I expected.Moreover, the bottle did not have the secondary flavors/tastes that I associate with aged Bordeaux. Still some tannins hanging around which became more prominent toward the end of the bottle.
Good cork. Good nose at opening. Let it breathe for 20 min or so, then put it into a small bottom decanter, which seemed to help.
Bottom line: Was this a good bottle of wine? Absolutely. Perhaps/probably an excellent bottle. Was it worth the 240USD I paid for it (present retail double that)? I don't think so. If I had a bottle, I would drink it soon.
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Not rated. I consistently rate this wine in the mid 90's. Not corked, but still an off bottle. Muted nose, and a little musty. Lots of sediment and oak. Little fruit. Fill into neck. Good cork. bad luck!
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5 Spice, truffle, cassis, tobacco, olives, blackberry and forest aromas lead to a soft textured entry. On the palate, this fully mature, plush Margaux wine is concentrated with elegant layers of round, dark berries, hints of red fruit and a minor touch of greeness in the finish. I'm not sure this has much room to improve, but this delightful Margaux should remain at this level for at least another 15 or more years.
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1st, I'm biased, I LOVE Margaux. When opened, I was a little worried, a bit of barnyard, iodine, bramblly when first popped. That blew of, to reveal a lovely perfume of violets, dark fruits and Margaux elegance. Had side by side with a DRC RSV and an 86 Le Pin (my first). Once it opened, a plush, very pure, seductive palate of dark cherries and plums, beautiful balance, with a hint of truffles and licorice. Drank over 2.5 hors, and it continued to open and reveal layers of complexity. Long finish, round, mouth coating and elegant. God, I love this wine and producer. Every time I drink one, my heart breaks, cause I have 1 less bottle left.
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goede ervaring, deze fles heeft meer inhoud, mooie klassieke neus, heeft nog fruittonen, cederhout, smaak is elegant en zacht, alles mooi aanwezig, heeft veel klasse, kan nog wel even mee
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Wow, what a great bottle of Margaux. Really complex nose which started a little minty to then show a hint of licorice, earthy and floral notes with cassis. There's also a nice savory (kind of a hint of Worcester sauce) note. The palate is as beautiful as the nose with absolutely no hard edges and velvety. The fruit is pure. The mid-palate is actually a little thin (this bottle should have been decanted and was still developing when finished) but then the finish simply explodes to a very very very long finish. So elegant. Stunning Margaux.
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Soft and refined, slight barnyard on the nose early, then chocolate and red fruit. Smooth and delicious. Aftertaste was a little short and is the reason I found it not quite as good as the '85 Caymus SS I also had with the steaks. seemed just a little flat at the end of 6 hours. But a great bottle with some life left but not likely to improve in my opinion.
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Dinner with TH and friends (Bisteca, Central, HK): Another great bottle of this wine, despite its shabby labels and TS fill. Purchased (for what I thought was a bargain) at the AMC auction in HK in late May, the case arrived at home a few weeks later and the Mrs and I simply had to open one to have a few sips. Simply superb, with tell-tale Margaux nose of flowers and earth, this medium-bodied claret just gives off class without coming across as a show off. Bottle was brought to dinner many hours later, and was still going strong. Compared with what some recent vintages of Margaux are selling for, the 1985 vintage must be one of the few relative bargains left in the overbought marketplace for first growth Bordeaux.
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Nose: graphite, blackcurrant, violets. Fully mature. Taste: very gentle, subtle and elegant. Flavours constantly interchanging, a magical experience. Perfectly balanced. A long beguiling aftertaste. Wonderful.
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Stumbled across some old TN’s while cleaning out a drawer in my office, from a winemakers diner with Paul Pontallier (who sadly left us a year ago) from Chateau Margaux as our host. Had this from Magnum. Amazing Bordeaux, and wotn, by far. Nose is intriguing and challenging, with layers of mixed impressions, ranging from the spectrum of fresh red flowers to old English gentleman… Fresh red flowers, leather, green spicy herbs, touch of stable, cigar box, smoked oak and dusty gravel, licorice, minerals, red and black currants, forest berries, forest floor with damp autumn leafs and wet earth. Palate was equally fine and complex, kind of mirrors the impressions of the nose, with a mixture of both maturity and youth. Rich and full of red ripe and silky fruit, currants and berries, with tobacco leafs and sweet licorice. Long, silky, with good acidity and superb balance. This is a semi mature bottle (remember, in Magnum format) with more to reveal, but lovely now. A very fine bottle of Margaux, indeed. (95 – 97)
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rode kleur, duidelijk op leeftijd, fruit is bijna verdwenen, nu komen echt de ouderdomstonen naar voren, iets van metaal, ijzer, mineraal, licht aards, klein beetje rood fruit, smaak is zacht en beschaafd, heeft nog voldoende vulling en wat concentratie, word niet meer beter, binnen 3 jaar wel opdrinken. blijft toch een mooie ervaring, heel beschaafd glas
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Iron on the nose initially,opening to show more fruit with time in the glass. Not decanted. Tannins completely resolved, and wine is at peak now.will hold for a while, but not likely improve.Sweet Cabernet fruit on the palate, and enough acidity to provide a long finish. Blows away the '82,'83,and'86 in my estimation. Glad Robert Parker has under estimated this wine, and it remains at least relatively affordable.
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After aprevoius bottle this one was again faboulous and worth every penny. Not decanted initially closed an no lenght after 30 min in the glass the wine became spectacolous
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Opened and poured without decanting. Beautiful floral nose that is classic Margaux. Superb sweet core of berries, intermingled with notes of camphor and nutmeg. Medium bodied, with great harmony and balance, and a tidy long finish -- a great example of mature claret of the finest breeding. Opened a bottle of this at Christmas last year, and this one is just as good. I've never had this wine much younger so can't make any comparisons, but at 25 years of age it is simply fabulous.
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A fully mature vintage showing all it has. Slightly soft in the style of the vintage, Fragrant, sweet on the attack, just slightly dry on the finish, at least this particular bottle. Not one of the truly great vintages of Chateau Margaux, but readily enjoyable now.
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Tasted blind out of a half bottle, therefore the wine was a bit more advanced. Well balanced with a beautiful feminine nose. Palate was a bit on the light side.
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Clear medium red in color. Aromas of mint and menthol with red fruits. Balanced flavors of cherry, currant and a hint of spice. Very enjoyable and drinking really well.
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Coconut, herbs, cherry, tobacco and earthy scents are easy to find. This concentrated, fully mature Bordeaux wine offers a long, blackberry, spice and cassis filled finish. But some rusticity in the tannins takes away from the otherwise outstanding Bordeaux wine.
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Stewed prune on the nose. Pretty blueberry flavors that are lush & young & sweet with some deeper black currant coming on later in the mouth. Spicy tannins. Beautiful wine. Tasted blind.
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American Heart Association - Dinner and Evening presented by Chateau Margaux (Mellon Auditorium - DC): Great chalky, dusty nose, almost like a South African Cab nose. This was from a magnum so would not have aged as quickly as the normal bottles which I believe are now at their peak according to the winemaker who was with us. The taste was not as great as the bouquet but a classic bordeaux and this was better than the 1993 but for me behind the 1999.
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I have no experience drinking old Bordeaux, and not even much experience drinking young first growths, but I ordered this at a restaurant expecting the best bottle of my life. The cork was stained all the way to the top. It smelled and originally tasted mostly of age, I asked the Sommelier to taste it and she thought it tasted much older than a 1985, but she thought that with time it would come around. I had a flight to catch so I only had an hour and a half, so we decanted and I swirled vigorously throughout. It did improve and start to show some fruit and complexity, but even as I was leaving, it was merely Good and not Great. I suspect there was a problem with the bottle, but the Som wasn't going to admit that about a $1550 bottle, and I won't be buying another bottle to find out.
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Stellar. After an hour and a half decant, nose still had a hint of turpentine poking through a rich bouquet of black fruit and potting soil. The mouthfeel of this wine was soft and smooth, and the flavors deep and complex. I lack the experience with first growth bordeaux to say this particular wine is peaking at the ripe age of 25, but its hard to imagine it could get better.
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Fill well into neck, cork soaked to top. Opened and "slow oxygenated" for 2-3 hours, with about half an ounce poured out for a preliminary taste. Dark red center, lightening at rim. Fabulous nose of cassis, "Margaux-berries" leather and tobacco with some floral hints. Medium body, flavors do not live up to the nose at first but begin to develop after 30 minutes in the glass. Very nice balance, smooth mouthfeel, good fruit, resolved tannins,but no real old leaves/sweet aged notes in the mix that come with the very best old bottles of bordeaux. Still outstanding.
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Auction Bottle. Slow opened, then decanted. A bit musty cardboard for about 45 minutes on the nose, but eventually some of the virtues of this First Growth overwhelmed the slight overlay of corkiness. Firm, seemingly still young, brighter rather than deep on the evening of tasting, with more depth confirmed the next morning from the decanter, this wine, properly stored should continue on a favorable evolution. But this sample was not on point -- not equal to a recent quite excellent '79, which it should have hurdled with ease.
Based on other notes here, is it possible the '85 seems to be a little more prevalent with cork taint in this vintage than others? Absent that, it soars to great heights, which is not uncommon for other Margaux appellation wines from 1985 (Rauzan Segla comes to mind). Really this would be my first questioned experience with a Ch. Margaux. One '85 remains and hopefully will present itself in proper form!
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My 1st First Growth. This wine reminded me of the 1985 Cos d'Estournel I had had recently, because it had the same wonderful and huge nose of earth, oak, cherry, cassis, and stinky cigar. At the time I drank this wine, I remember thinking it just had all you could want in a nose for a Bordeaux. It also had lots of intensity in the palate, with fruit, earth, and oak, and despite that was just so easy to drink. I finished the bottle with my date and boy did we wish we had more. For the price, I do wish it was even better, but only because the Cos was a third or fourth the price and delivered virtually the same experience. Still, a great wine.
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Tasting of Rhône and some blinds by the DRC-club (Brugweg - Velp): Served blind from Arnoud's cellar. Most tasters confused it for cabernet franc, but I'm happy to say I said from the beginning (like Bob) this just had to be cabernet sauvignon. I even guessed Margaux, but to be honest I meant the village, not the château, because I found it lacking that bit of class I consider to be typical for Château Margaux. But it turned out to be the grand seigneur after all. Very enjoyable, but not the greatness I'm used to from my favorite Bordeaux.
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Cassis, black fruits and cedar aromas greet your nose and the rich ripe fruit please your palate. Very silky and rich, but, lacking the concentration of the great years.
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Great stuff. Nose of fruit and leather. In the mouth there was red cassis fruit, leather and tobacco. The wine was typical Margaux - a good amount of power while at the same time having grace. It is in a good place now, but it certainly has more life ahead. Excellent wine.
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Tasting Group Dinner - '75, '83 and '85 Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Second time I've tasted this. Another terrific showing. Floral, beautifully perfumed signature Margaux nose. The palate is rich and silky, with a core of dark cherry fruit and complex secondary flavors. A touch of green pepper and smoke. Sweet and savory. Delicious. WOTF.
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This is my third time with this wine and the last two have been underwhelming. The color is a deep red bordering on black. The nose offers reserved dark fruit with an endearing floral note. Much better on the palate with awesome flavor intensity that really rings the taste buds. Silky texture, medium weight, some structure but no obvious tannin and a long, satisfying finish. Excellent wine, but my expectations were higher.
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It's ready; it's excellent; it's fragrant with that very special "Margauxberry" aroma. On the palate, it's medium in weight but not as delicious to drink as it is to smell. The tannin is resolved and there's good acidity, but maybe just a bit too dry. There seems to be a lot of bottle variation with the '85 Margaux, even from well-stored bottles.
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Very good color. Pretty Margaux nose of sweet tobacco earth, blackberries and chocolate charred oak. Best after about 2 hours of decanting after which the tannins ameliorate. A beautiful, lighter-bodied Margaux with wonderful complex flavors of smoked wood and charred blackberries. So elegant and balanced and fabulously complex on the finish. This was a very good bottle of this wine bought at auction from the cellars of Bipin Desai. I think this wine should be drunk right now, at its peak.
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Has the very classy nose of old school Bordeaux; cedar & sandalwood, inside og a cigar box with this beautiful dryness. Brownred on the edge, a taste of matured fruits; a very nice wine. On its top now
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The perfume is intoxicating and the palate enjoys a long, concentrated finish of silky, dense, ripe fruit. Very classy. This will last and continue evolving for at least another 20 years
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Wow! Opened this to pair with my birthday dinner of Blue Crab and Perigourd Truffle Gnocchi and a Venison Trio at Restaurant August in New Orleans. Opened to find that the wine had creeped almost all the way up the cork, but leakage was not evident. Cork broke, but came out in two solid pieces. Decanted for about an hour and a half. I was quite concerned with the first taste, as the wine seemed to be a little light and austere. The restaurant's sommelier came by for a taste and made the erroneous suggestion that she smelled a little corkiness, but I didn't find it at all........However, even if it was there ( and I doubt it was, she was simply jealous, hehe ) it blew off quickly. Right after pouring there was a real musty gaminess and meaty aromas and flavors that I think she was mistaking for TCA. Of course, it must not have bothered her too much because she pretty much dove over two tables to get the last few sediment filled ounces in the bottom of the bottle as we were leaving our table. So, over the next hour this wine blossomed into the most beautifully noble and pure red wine that I've had in a long time. Its funny that people have the impression that Bordeaux doesn't have the same fruit as big rich Cali Cabs. This wine was so chock full of jammy plum and cassis flavors, it was stunning. As the bottle was consumed, there were evolving flavors of sweet maraschino cherry, ripe plump raspberries, and blackberry jam. The fruit was beautiful in its purity and enormous concentration, but it was the secondary flavors that really made this wine.........it seemingly morphed with every sip........leather, dark rich soil, eucalyptus, stewed game, herbs de Provence, mushrooms, sweet pipe tobacco. This was heaven in a bottle. Perfect ripe fruit, velvety smooth tannin structure, and a finish that literally lasted minutes. If you can find a bottle of this, get it. If you have some, I would venture to guess that, if stored properly, this wine will last for another decade or more easily. I am simply ecstatic that I have another bottle left in the cellar. Wow!!!
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Strikingly wonderful and one of the best examples of this wine I've ever had (decanted for 3 hours). Sometimes it has been ungenerous and borderline hard, unforgiveable for Chateau Margaux. Not this time though, from the healthy deep ruby color to the first whiff of black cherry/blackberry fruit it was clear this was going to be special. In the mouth, there's excellent texture and depth of fruit with the '85 tender tannins in the background holding it together. Then another burst of the same fruit hits the back of the palate on the way down. Not as massive as the '82 (or '86) but better focused and more approachable at this point. And while not as complex as the idiosyncratic '83, it's clearly one of the top wines of the vintage and I would not quarrel with anyone who declared it the best of the best.
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"Bring your Best" Reno tasting (Mark and Megan's): Decanted 90+ minutes. Garnet with edges browned. Attention-grabbing nose of red fruits, flowers, earth, leather and spice which really flowed from the glass. The palate was edgier, more focused, yet more complex than the '83 Palmer. Except for the slightly tart finish which led into an incredibly long finsh, this would have been completely off-the-charts wne.
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Kitchen Tasting Group Does Beaver Creek – Day One: This wine is a beautiful and youthful-lookinig ruby red color. The nose offers a compact blend of dark fruit, licorice, and dried flowers. In the mouth this delivers an elegant expression of black fruit. Not quite as silky smooth as I was expecting -- it actually comes across as very structured. A great wine, but not as great as my expectations.
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Most likely will be wine of the year for me. Incredible balance. Fruits are still strong. Tannins are fully integrated. From beginning to finish, the juice melts on your tastebuds. Bouquet has cinnamon and some spice. Words can't even begin to describe this wine.
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Jeroboam Club: Ch. Margaux Vertical (Bordeaux Quay, Bristol): Nice medium-red, evolved colouration. Attractive sweet fruit: plums and blueberries, with a hint of sur-maturity (heady). A bit brown-tinged on the palate, but lovely if a tad tired.
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Pre-Harlan Warm-up at Brad England's House: My first Margaux, and what a treat. The nose enticed with an expressive mix of mature black fruit and floral notes. However, the real thrill with this wine is how seductive it is in the mouth. The texture is just so, so silky. The fruit is concentrated but is not heavy. Flavors coat the palate. The finish is long and seemless. This is a very special wine.
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Absolutely gorgeous; so soft, so smooth, so elegant. Gentle and beguiling, this could make an instant Bordeaux lover of anyone. There's lots of violets and dark plum in the medium weight package. The finish is clean and fades little by little, but the memory of the experience lingers much longer. This is the kind of wine that can get underappreciated in a series of heavyweight fruit bombs. Surely at its absolute best. Perhaps the 7 hour decant helped.
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This wine combined the floral Margaux notes with velvety, Pomerol textures. Rich, fleshy, opulent and graceful. Still young, this will get better with age.
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My last bottle. And what an awesome wine! An enchanting nose of flowers and cedar and undergrowth and red and black fruits. With time the nose turned to jasmine. In the mouth, the wine was supple and silky, with brilliant balance yet precise definition. The fruit was standout and sweet, and the tannins and acids soft and supple; the finish was very long. A gorgeous wine. Drinking at its peak.
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This is much better than a bottle from the same source last year, perhaps because I decanted it 4 hours in advance. Remarkably unevolved color, deep ruby with no trace of color loss or orange. Simple, but deep delightful bouquet of pure blackberry with just a hint of oak. "Demure" and "feminine" says K. Ripe and round in the mouth with a perfectly clean finish. Quite different from the powerful '82, brooding '83, backwards '86 and elusive '90. Youthful but no longer young, this elegant beauty should go on for another 15 years and is clearly one of the top 5 wines of the vintage.
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Hmm, this was a classy wine that hinted at greatness but never really opened up and delivered. Initial notes were a little disjoint yet promising with floral notes, lead pencil, cedar, and mineral. This came together well to show a compact, focused yet elegant bouquet. The palate never really delivered though, starting out a bit choppy and astringent and then opening somewhat narrowly into a beautiful yet somewhat middle weight claret that lacked the concentration and depth one would expect of a first growth. This was sort of a Junior Margaux, and I was hoping for a bit more. Oh well, it's still always nice to have a chance at an older bottle like this.
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Red with clear browning at the rim. Scents of bark, and forrest. Medium bodied, sweet and seductive, powerful but with great style and character, all in a cream-caramel taste with resolved tannin, excellent finesse, and a long balanced aftertaste. Brilliant for drinking now.
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Dark garnet. Incredible nose of violets, thyme, cedar and blackcurrant. Silky smooth, surprisingly vigorous with fine tannins and good underlying fruit. Still youthful and will continue to delight its drinkers for another decade at least (though not from this bottle...)
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This was one of my two bottles for the Quilceda/Margaux standoff. Perfume, violets/ still significant tannin/ some warmth on the finish. This bottle had some seepage around the cork and seemed a bit cooked in general.
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Seductively delightful! From the first whiff of massive quantities of sweet cassis, fruit, and rose petals I knew this was gonna be great. Dark rich berries, touches of oak, multi-layered, and long long lasting finish ... mmmmm! Decanted since the morning really opened it up. One of the best wines I've had this year and wine of the evening.
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Christie’s Auction bottle. Delicious wine at its apogee. All sorts of mixed berries. Soft tannins. A middleweight. Slightly orange. Not for long keeping.
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Consistently beautiful with rare exceptions. Now almost mature. Intense. Focused fruit. Tremendous breed. Blew away the ‘85 Caymus Special Selection. Great wine.
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Just lovely. Pure pleasure. Still more to come but the usual ‘85 friendless is there. Deeper than the ‘85 Cheval Blanc but not as big as the ‘85 Léoville-Las-Cases. Wonderful balance and harmony.
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Tasted as a ringer blind in a flight of ‘85 California Cabernet Sauvignons. Unfortunately very disappointing. Good color but something not right about the nose. Herbaceous and tannic. I hope just a bad bottle
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Andy’s bottle. Easily the best of a flight of ‘85 Bordeaux at Rabelais. Youthful. Exquisite balance. Very enjoyable now although still evolving. Lovely sweet soft black fruit. The price ($250) is now approaching the ‘83 ($285). Is it almost as good?
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3/30/2024 - RobinTeo wrote: 98 Points
The one with Old Bordeaux (Praelum): The first look at the bouquet immediately put this wine up for wine of the night. Leaping bouquet of dried florals, graphite, dark plums and bayberries before moving on to white pepper, mulberries, red currents, tobacco and dried roses on the palate. This wine is powerful yet soft, brutish yet elegant, brash yet sensual... you get the drift. Great fruit concentration with a good hit of acidity - timeless and an amazing bottle of bordeaux.
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3/11/2024 - Dionysos55 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Décanté 1h30 avant consommation.Robe encore bien ferme malgré son âge.Le bouquet offre des senteurs de menthol,de cèdre et surtout de crème de cassis,marqueur du cabernet sauvignon en vin vieux.La bouche offre une typicité Margaux qui saute aux yeux avec cette allure féminine très élégante.Cette bouteille affiche sa classe mais on perçoit un léger creux en milieu de bouche ce qui atténue un peu sa cotation finale.Effet millésime vraisemblablement.Néanmoins un excellent flacon !!!
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11/18/2023 - AudunG wrote: 95 Points
Floral and typical Margaux aromas, with leather, herbs and pencil. Soft, feminine and developed on the palate, still with a lot of punch and concentration.
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7/22/2023 - Wine MOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious, classic Bordeaux nose of graphite, tobacco, green peppercorns, plums, and red currents. A lush, silliness gives way to a slightly harsh finish. Amazing wine for 38 years old. Still has great life ahead of it.
After three hours, it takes on an exotic smokey jambon character, Rose petals, and candied cherries. Just an amazing Bordeaux.
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6/28/2023 - Burgnick wrote:
Missing the Margaux perfume nose for me. Overall very fresh but slightly thin and dry on the palate. Maybe not the best bottle of 85 Margaux.
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6/8/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Workshop: Chateau Margaux (Gabriel Kreuther): Another absolute favorite of the tasting for me and a wine that I have quite enjoyed in the past. It’s again more of that pretty style. Very classic. Light raspberry and fresh and a tasty and with that beauty of an easy well aged wine that is still somewhat light on the feet but has all of the right flavors. Happy to see that we have a few left in our cellar. Quite enjoyable.
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5/14/2023 - vetoraph wrote:
En famille et entre amis.
Toujours bonne.
Petit dégazage à l’ouverture.
Que du bonheur
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4/14/2023 - AudunG Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfumed and generous Margaux aromas with flowers, herbs, leather and pencil. Soft and developed on the palate with great concentration. But as always with the great Margaux wines: the nose is best.
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4/3/2023 - Brolawa wrote:
M2. Drank at Cimarron. Could have been elevation.
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3/2/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
My second of 2 bottles from auction, this again delivered. Having tasted a few contenders from 1985 recently, I do feel this is probably the wine of the vintage. The nose is glorious and deeply perfumed, but lacking the delicate Margaux floral notes. The Cabernet is dominant on the palate with earth and spice. The finish is its Achille's heel, and is a little unbalanced and over harsh. It is important to decant the wine, and it really only bursts into life after 3 hours in the decanter. However, in spite of the criticism, it is a wonderful wine, and more than worthy of its first growth status in a challenging vintage.
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2/19/2023 - vindictive wrote:
Beautiful wine. Needed 2 hours in the decanter to start to show its depth. 1985 is a great and subtle vintage for Bordeaux and this is a superb example. Always evolving, perfect with a reverse seared steak. So different from modern Bordeaux
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1/19/2023 - Raage wrote: 93 Points
CDV)
A l’oeil, il est foncé, opaque, on dirait le sud! Comme au nez, solaire, cuiré, fruits noirs et epices, cèdre, cèpe, poivron fumé. L’intensité est remarquable, l’énergie palpable : impressionnant pour un vin qui approche les 40 ans sur un millésime qui n’evoque pas la légende.
En bouche, la matière est restée un peu fluide, et si l’attaque promet encore, le milieu de bouche est un peu creux, manque de chair, alors que la finale s’etire. Sans doute 3/5 ans de trop, mais il en donne encore beaucoup!
De façon très subjective, Il a un petit coté vieux mourvèdre (cuir, confiture de mûre), l’acidité et le cèdre bordelais en plus!
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12/22/2022 - rocknroller wrote: flawed
Dinner with Dad: Aged Napa, Bordeaux & Don Saunders (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Clearly not right, cooked fruit. This was painful.
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11/19/2022 - aquacongas wrote: 93 Points
blind, together with Monte Bello 85 and La Landonne 85
I guessed the common ground was the grape variety namely Syrah but I was only one third was correct. For me close to his peak, balanced a bit short for a really "big" wine. Love the roasted aromas. 93-94
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10/30/2022 - johnh1001 wrote: 91 Points
Nose of dark fruit, earth and manure. Maybe slightly advanced. Great balance and depth. Just didn’t love the flavor profile.
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9/4/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Always a lovely wine and this was no different. Drinking very well. Dark red fruit and a hint of spice and more cigar smoke. Glad to see we have a few more of these.
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7/24/2022 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Rust red color. Shoe leather, light oak, mulberry, tart cranberry and a medley of herbaceous notes. Chalky tannins glide across the palate in this light weight wine with brûléed flavors intertwined and a slight hint of dried fruits. After reading other comments, we’ll decant and wait a few hours before enjoying to see where that takes the wine.
p.s. reversed seared grilled veal chops with sauerkraut pierogis and charred broccoli
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5/8/2022 - djhammond Likes this wine: 96 Points
I studied tasting notes from fellow reviewers, and I followed some common advice and decanted this for 3 hours, but it took an hour in the glass to come alive. If it wasn't a Margaux I probably would have been more generous, but it lacked the delicacy and floral characteristics I love in Margaux. I wonder if the 1995 might be similar in 10 years time. That said, it is a magnificent wine, worthy of its first growth status and possibly the wine of the vintage. Light red berry fruits are displayed, but tobacco and spice from the Cabernet are prominent. The nose is mature and worthy of a perfect score. The depth and balance on the palate and finish are impeccable, but residual tannin distracts from the finish. I would assume that there is now bottle variation and on a lucky day this could rate another 2 points. 96+
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4/10/2022 - hajoha wrote: 96 Points
Chateau Margaux 1985.
Fullstendig herpa label - ofte et godt tegn.😊
Aldri smakt en bra Chateau Margaux - endelig er tiden inne!
En helt fantastisk flaske.
Mørke bær, sigarboks, lær, krydder, tørket frukt og litt sjokolade i blomsterenga.
Silkeføre i anslaget.
Denne er helt på topp nå.
Sømløs, elegant og rett og slett helt magisk.
Er mange lag her og det skjer noe spennende i glasset hele tiden.
Pen dybde og nok struktur fortsatt til å holde vinen sammen
Frukten holder stand og tanninene er helt finslipte.
Utrolig sofistikert og elegant vin som ender i en meget lang finish.
Dette kunne jeg drukket hver dag. 96p+
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3/27/2022 - jmoon wrote:
NR... couldn't get it to fire. may have been too cold? decanted 3 hours, did I miss the window? last bottle 7 years ago was stunning.
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3/8/2022 - onboisduvin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well-integrated old Bordeaux
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2/21/2022 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Fine Wines SG - Bordeaux 1985 Grand Cru Discovery Pack (Fine Wines SG): Somewhat pale garnet with browning fading edges. Overtones of mint, herbs, and dried grass on the nose, then dark florals, pepper, a Chinese treebark herbal feel, and there seems to be a black fruited, plummy hint. Flavours seem to be Chinese herbs dominated, then dark florals, underripe blackberry and cassis, and then the nutmeg and pepper spices, and a seemingly tannic tea-like feel. Medium length
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2/4/2022 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 97 Points
Like every '85 Margaux I have had, this was stunning.
If there's one lesson I've learned about Margaux it's that it always needs far more air than other first growths. On opening it is relatively pedestrian, unlike, say, a Latour which will knock your socks off as soon as the cork pops. True to form, this took at least 2 hours in the decanter to fully open up, but fortunately it was timed perfectly for the arrival of the steak course.
Remarkably fresh and vibrant, consistent with previous notes. Extraordinarily perfumed. An absolute delight. Day two (there was only about a third of the bottle left) was just as good if not slightly better, suggesting this wine is nowhere near beginning a decline. Don't wait though; it is too good now.
The 1983 can be better than this, but it's not as reliable in my experience. This wine always delivers.
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1/17/2022 - rnellans wrote: flawed
La Tache and Chevalier Montrachet with Brad (Roger Nellans home): Unfortunately quite corked.
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1/14/2022 - BradE wrote:
Sadly corked.
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12/15/2021 - Fftjr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Only slightly better than ‘83 and close to ‘82, a well balanced, beautiful.
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12/15/2021 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
Perfectly stored and acquired on release. In prime and needs to be drank soon. This has perfect balance and the only thing holding this back is the finish. No need to hold further. In a good spot
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12/14/2021 - melzar wrote: 96 Points
Low neck fill. Quintesential old Bordeaux. If you have this in your cellar, please open it. It will hold, but it is wonderful now, and will not likely improve. Fabulous nose and palate and a finish that lingers.
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8/13/2021 - prof b wrote: 93 Points
Recent purchase from Benchmark. Perfect fill and cork. Opened and followed over the course of several hours. I really enjoyed this. The wine showed the typical tertiary notes of a bordeaux of this age. However, there were plenty of light red fruits to combine with the tobacco and graphite. An excellent and balanced wine, but I'd hoped for more.
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7/23/2021 - AAF2012 Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Past prime, definitely far down age curve. Smokiness, stewed fruits, damp everything on nose, borderline unpleasant / heat damage scents. Just a whiff of violets once during evening, and then gone. Palate is redemption. Fruit still here, plus some forest undergrowth. Acidity is backbone and pleasantly resolved tannins for most part (although a few sips yielded surprisingly strong astringency, while others didn't). Structure is the reminder of this wine's pedigree. That even a 35+ year old wine from an off vintage from a (perhaps) imperfect bottle (see below) can still hold up reasonably well.
Provenance maybe part of issue. Cork soaked through but came out in-tact. Fill slightly off. Purchased loose in Hong Kong from decent reseller, but had US import label which means the bottle has earned some frequently flier miles. I think perhaps exposed to a little heat that could explain the accelerated ageing process and off flavours on the nose.
For context, I also own a case of 83 Margaux cellared in perfect condition, drank 9/12 bottles so far. All superb. Last try was mid-2020. 4 hour decant still called for there. I know 83 is superior to 85, but I suspect I had a slightly off bottle here so fyi. If you're drinking your 1985 from a case or have owned a long time or just have better luck with a loose bottle condition, my guess is your 1985 will be better than mine.
Had this been from a Margaux that is 20+ years instead of a 30+ year off vintage, I probably would've rated it mid 80s on nose, mouthfeel and palate alone.
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4/28/2021 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 97 Points
Another great bottle of this great vintage for Chateau Margaux. Umami, sexy lush red fruit really draws you in, some crazy funky centre of strawberry jam with good acidity to it. Feels like for the money this is one of the Chateau Margaux to seek out.
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1/15/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Blind] Initially showing quite heavy and intense, yielding to more classic although still dense. Think dark chocolate covered cherries. This has another 30 years to develop and unwind. This reminds me more of Haut-Brion with all its red cedar spice. Not obviously floral in the stereotypical Margaux fashion, more of a sort of pine resin. Unresolved tannin. A big and youthful wine still, although pretty content drinking one now.
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12/26/2020 - ilee Likes this wine: 94 Points
Post-Christmas Dinner at home with friends (At home): Popped and poured, because I wasn't sure if it needed (or indeed, would survive) decanting. Out of the bottle, the nose is a gorgeous, complex bouquet of cut summer flowers, ripe red berries, aged leather and shaded forest floor. Medium bodied, the fruit has a vibrancy and precision of a wine half its age, with layers of bright red fruit giving it an intense, uplifting finish. But this was just the first 15 minutes. Later, what remained was just a nice but somewhat muted old Bordeaux. Over the last 10 years or so, this wine has brought much pleasure. And this was the last bottle.
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12/20/2020 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not at the level of a spellbinding bottle of this wine a few months ago. This time it showed a little more structure than flamboyance and had a tiny nod of Pauillac aspects with some pencil shaving, cigar box. Sweetened up a bit with time in the decanter and the last glass was the best.
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12/13/2020 - BNWM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Perfect dark garnet , with very little fading at the rims. Blackberry, blueberry, tobacco and cedar nose, with hints of raspberry and mushrooms. Very dense on the palate, with lots of umami giving it that onctous mouthfeel, complemented by that vanilla touch that remains in old wines when high class oak has been used. Very well balanced, with noteable acidity and very fine and elegant tannins. Taste lingers for minutes on your tongue. Very fine plus.
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11/4/2020 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 99 Points
WOTN in a lovely line-up and this bottle was practically perfect so not sure why I am being stingy and not giving it full marks. Opened two hours before serving and decanted half an hour before we started getting stuck in. The sexiest red berry, umami like sesame oil qualities, just wow! There were several attacks on the palate with an endless and seamless finish. Despite so many good to great bottles that night the Margaux stood there like a mountain and just said you ain't going to pass me today. Sensational and if this was representative and all good bottles out there are like this I would be a big buyer. But with this age I feel we might have been particularly lucky with how this showed.
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10/22/2020 - G_H wrote: 96 Points
What a beautiful bottle, no hard edges, perfectly ripe, elegant but aromatically dense bordeaux. Delicious and perfect to drink now
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6/20/2020 - Ericsson wrote: 94 Points
Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Palmer, Mouton, Cos...): Pas de notes formelles, une des bouteilles non chemisées après la dégustation.
Très bon souvenir d'un vin parvenu à maturité et qui a encore de belles années devant lui. Classe et complexité, très belle longueur.
94-95
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4/24/2020 - Kepos wrote: flawed
cork
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4/2/2020 - racerchris Likes this wine: 96 Points
Words escape me. However the note posted by dchain last November is an apt description for my experience too.
95-96 pts.
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3/3/2020 - Wine by Bok wrote: 97 Points
Even though Palmer is considered one of the best in Margaux region, nothing beats the finesse of its only first growth chateau. Aromas of sweet blackberry and black cherries, dusty cedar wood, spice and leather. Palate was filled with black fruits, elegant but strong underlying tannind and lively acidity that ended with a powerful finish. more tasting note in finewines.com.sg
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2/16/2020 - BROpus One Likes this wine: 96 Points
This vintage showed a lot more fruit and a lot less of that bdx funk than that other Margaux I’ve had. I was surprised but really enjoyed this bottle. I’d say this is a bit of a sleeper vintage and would be a great bottle to share with friends that prefer Napa over bordeaux
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11/17/2019 - dchain Likes this wine: 96 Points
From a magnum gifted to me by the owner in 1995 and thought my son’s 16th was a good time to drink it! Brick ruby, touch of separation at the rim. Beautiful mellow cedary and black currant nose. Some soil, mushroom, soya, leather. Late secondary characteristics is full force! Such lovely balance and persistence on the palate. Welcoming and just gently coats the palate with its sweet mellow and long fruit. Great length, glorious and a happy bottle to share on a happy occasion which added to its enjoyment with the extended family.
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10/23/2019 - lifebreath wrote: 94 Points
Excellent bottle. PnP.
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8/27/2019 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Quite good. Very classic in all regards. Elegant also in an earthy way, kind of like a classy yet granola like young lady. Lots of tobacco, cedar, not a ton of fruit, but enough to keep it interesting. Structure is largely gone, I would drink up. But still a very worthy bottle.
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7/13/2019 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
this is still somewhat tight and not as seductive as I would have hoped. but it has good structure and depth. In time may be attractive.
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5/17/2019 - Isaac L Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordeaux 1985 Grand Tour; 5/5/2017-10/20/2023: Tightly coiled on opening with waves of complexity waiting to unfold, but only showed fully after a 60 min decant. Beguiling nose of perfume framed against a classic Bordeaux backdrop of funk and mushrooms. In the glass, it displayed an ethereal, silky viscosity and when swirled, more legs than a millipede which then lined themselves up along the wall of the glass in great uniformity.
This wine continued to evolve over the next 2 hours, all the while maintaining exceptional lift and freshness. Flowers, cedar and perfume emerged at various points to present a lush and seductive potion. Tannins while well-resolved were still extremely grippy on the finish, which was long and mouth coating.
Drink now.
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3/23/2019 - rija wrote: 100 Points
Fantastic wine, don't let it decant, subtle and full of life directly from the bottle. Black Currant, earthy notes in the nose, soft tannins, more Black Currant and mushrooms in the taste
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3/15/2019 - LOZFOZ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at home.
Ding ding. Bonhams delivery. Bother. Now I have to choose between a '83 Palmer, '85 Haut Brion and '85 Margaux on a Friday night.
The latter won by virtue of my having two bottles. And boy was I not disappointed.
Flowers and funk at the start developed in to a wonderful nasal elixir. The wine left my nostrils tingling.
The palate grew and grew for three hours (after which the wine was finished) and exuded silk and femininity that all great Margaux do.
A belter.
Always a pleasure. Never a chore.
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3/8/2019 - M.S.L. wrote: 97 Points
On a night of some truly magnificent wines. Yes yes yes, this is what I remembered from many years back. An almost complete wine with a coolness on the nose, but still trademark Margaux elements and a regal quality in combination with the lush fruitiness of the vintage, if that makes sense to anyone. I had this wine two other times this past six months and those other two were underwhelming. Apparantly there is some bottle variation, so I understand if other are less impressed than I was.
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2/3/2019 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Enthusiastically approved WOTN at an annual wine dinner of friends. We were worried the fruit might be fading age 33 but such concerns were misplaced.
Remarkable nose of black cherry, spice, and a subtle hint of truffle.
Seemingly endless finish.
5+ years of pleasure easily await the patient.
If a date, this was a 45 year old lingerie designing executive who mesmerizes with brains, captivating beauty and sexuality.
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11/25/2018 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 96 Points
Opened at Thanksgiving to enjoy our blessings in life. Paired perfectly with grilled burgers from the green egg. This bottle was superb. Way beyond peak, but, a classic rendition of a very aged wine. So ready to drink, and, would not wait any longer. Medium, ruby red color. Major rim variation in the glass. No flaws. Moderate sediment. Faint to mild old world nose. Classic Bordeaux. Low tannin. Low acid. Low alcohol. Short finish. Earns this rating just for holding up over time, and, allowing us to experience a truly aged wine.
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10/21/2018 - RichardsFLX Likes this wine: 95 Points
Everything's in place here. Soft tobacco and leather on the nose, red fruit in perfect balance with the acid and remaining fine tannins, great length. Subtle and refined, but somehow missing a little verve.
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10/6/2018 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
balanced acidity, bit of leather, pencil. some tobacco. A little bit herbal. A quiet wine. Pleasant but not singing.
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10/6/2018 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Vertical blind tasting. Drinking well now. Fully mature with notes of cigar box, autumn leaves, barnyard, cedar. Elegant and light palate. A grand Margaux.
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9/29/2018 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 97 Points
Bordeaux with Les Trois Garcons (Östermalmsgatan, Stockholm): Initially I suspected something was slightly off with this bottle. Lots of murky wood and damp cellar but this gradually faded over the first 2 hours and eventually dissapeared, leaving an increadibly beautiful wine. On the nose classic cassis, some spice and sandalwood. Some development but still quite youthfull. After 3-4 hours mushrooms, hints of cola beans, fine tobacco and very light coffe. On the palate perfectly balanced, elegant and silky, oozing sophistication and finesse but with a beautiful, sweet fruit to it. Increadibly vital and energetic, with lots of spicebox, cassis, raspberries and some herbs. This is not the most powerfull wine - Greta Garbo, not Anita Ekberg. I kept repeating balance, finesse, etc. One of my greatest wine experiences ever. Pure bliss! Very impressive staying power. Kept developing and revealing new stuff for 6+ hours. Starting to fade a bit after 7+. Make sure to give this plenty of time to open up. WOTN.
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9/29/2018 - PEKB Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wonderful wine. Develops considerably over time in the glass. Above all balance. And elegance. One of the best wine I have ever tasted. This is what great wine is all about. Wow!
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9/14/2018 - M.S.L. wrote:
Wine dinner, few attendees, lots of great wines. (Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, many older bottles)) (My place, Copenhagen, Denmark): Unfortunately this was not in the best shape. This is one of the very best 1985's that I have tasted in the past, so this must have been flawed somehow. It tasted like 90 points on the night, but didn't have the fruit and lushness I associate with this chateau in this vintage.
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3/11/2018 - europat55 wrote: flawed
Corked.
My #11, Group's 11 (114 pts) in a Bordeaux '82/85/89/90 line-up. Tasted blind.
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3/6/2018 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tremendous complex spiciness in the nose: curry leaf, bay leaf, charcoal, chocolate shortbread. Gorgeous, lush, a hedonist's dream, soft and really,I dont see it getting better, though given the lingering finish, should hold here 5-10 years.
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3/6/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 96 Points
Château Margaux Vertical (Chef's Club NYC): This is more in the style of the ‘90 with an opulence and ripeness to the red and black berry fruit on the nose. Also some damp soil and smoke in this one. Aromatically nuanced. On the palate this has sweet mocha in the blueberry fruit. Blackberry tannin. Given that the ‘82 is NFG this ‘85 is stealing the flight and probably slightly edges out the '90 for wine of the night given the greater complexity and terroir influence in addition to the fruit. Very happy with this.
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3/3/2018 - ericindc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very young. Little, if any bricking. Nose was somewhat subdued, with some dark fruits, and some light cigar box. Opened up after a couple hours, with strong fruits, moderate tannins, medium body, but still didnt have a ton of tertiary notes. Very elegant and refined. Quite nice. Frankly, given the fruit and tannins, a well stored bottle should drink well for another 15-20 years, or longer.
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3/1/2018 - LOZFOZ Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank at 67PM
Not only was this a classic Ch. Margaux in the first 90 minutes - silky, floaty and super finessed - but, after a couple of hours in the decanter, began to take on some peppery notes both on nose and palate which was a real surprise, albeit a welcome one. I had to ask Terry, the Head Sommelier at 67PM, whether I was hallucinating and whether he believed it to be a genuine specimen. Fortunately he answered “no” and “yes” in that order. Exceptional wine.
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2/7/2018 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
A bit funky, otherwise very good, complex.
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2/3/2018 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a half bottle. I've had bad luck with Ch Margaux halves from the 1980s, having had a soy sauced 1982, two corked 1983s of various degrees, a "truffle" smelling 1986 (which now that I know better was likely also soy sauced). a mildly ok 1988, and a dull 1990, which as a 100 point should have been anything but dull. This was surely the best of the lot, perhaps not surprisingly because Margaux 1985 is possibly the wine of the vintage.
The most evident trait of this wine is balance - medium bodied, fragrant and so easy to drink, this was certainly liked by all my parents and in-laws. The nose is dominated by dried cherry, herbs, and cigar. I wouldn't say that it showed as much Margaux definition as I would like to see, but from half bottle this is probably in decline, as it may very well be from full bottle depending on storage. I recommend popping those corks!
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1/27/2018 - Stefan75 Likes this wine: 95 Points
one step up compared to the Palmer 85 tasted next to it, super smooth and complex, long finish, different but at the same level as Palmer 90 which was for me the red-WOTN. Opened about 3h before consumption, no decant needed
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1/26/2018 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium-darker ruby and purple color. Super elegant and finessed, with notes of black currant, black raspberries, flowers, mineral notes, smoke, and also some cedar notes and pepper. It's medium-full bodied, dense with weightlessness and freshness, medium+ acidity and medium tannin that is silky. Excellent length.
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1/26/2018 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 96 Points
Palmer Vertikale: Sehr dichte Farbe. Wirklich dunkel, man könnnte meinen der Wein ist 10-15 Jahre jünger. Eine Wahnsinnsnase, Zedern, Lakritz, Zigarrenkiste, eher auf der rotbeerigen aber sehr druckvolle Seite - und alles mit einer extrem feinen Klinge. Mineralik, Mineralik, Mineralik...
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1/13/2018 - Fongdr Likes this wine:
Double decanted and left open for 5+ hours consumed from hours 6-7. Tasted this monster at hour 4 and the wine still felt tight with the tannins but the fruit started to open up. At hour 6 has completed about half the bottle. When we finished the bottle around hour 7, the wine still felt like there was more to open up. I have 3 more bottles in my cellar and this feels like it could lay down for at least the next 5-10 Years. I would give this lots of time to open up next time I crack a bottle.
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12/28/2017 - englishman's claret wrote: 93 Points
Followed for about 8 hours in the decanter. Right after the cork is pulled, you get a lovely raspberry and slightly floral note. Not the complexity one expects from Margaux, but beautiful delineation and purity. With 2 hours of air, a beef-blood note emerges. At hour 5, a touch of ganache emerges. This is very good, but it's Margaux and it's 1985 - the expected complexity and interest just isn't here. I must confess to disappointment. Entirely possible that this is more compelling from large formats; this note is for a 375.
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12/25/2017 - victorpb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Flawless bottle. Drank over 4 hours. Surprisingly young with notes of cassis and eucalyptus.
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10/22/2017 - seattlecook wrote: 90 Points
Purchased from Christie’s at auction. A wine that was complex and also seemed past its prime. We had a 1966 as part of same lot that was in much better condition. Still fun to drink and a memorable wine.
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10/6/2017 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 97 Points
Similar notes to the last time I had this wine. Just a sensational, layered and fascinating nose. Much more concentrated on the palate than I remember. Dry but not drying, the tannins are in a perfect place for drinking right now. If you have any of this, drink it in the next year or so.
At its best between hours 2 and 3 in the decanter.
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10/5/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine was opening up the whole time we were drinking it and really hadn't hit peak when we were done. Drank next to the '79 which starting out really pretty open for business with some leather and cigar and almost an oily quality. This honestly started more tight and closed down. Opened a bit. Could prob have used a decant and more time. Still, I enjoyed this. Towards the end some fig and more dried fruit. Tasty.
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9/10/2017 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
A good deepish red purple color just starting to show some age on the rim, red berry and cassis on the nose at first, on the palate a seductive wine from the start, mulberries and cassis, most attractive, over the course of an hour it unfurled into a rare beauty, dark spice notes, a proper dose of oak, violets, mid-weight understated fruit and a splendid finish, great wines often have a sense of movement about them but this was quite serene, in all respects from start to finish it is simply beautiful, at this point I believe it is fully mature but as with the 1985 Mouton tasted alongside this remains quite youthful and is likely to endure and generously share its bounties for many decades to come, at this level personal preference matters as much as anything- and I will say that for me this is Bordeaux at its greatest. *****, now to 2045.
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7/14/2017 - JulianSkeels wrote: 94 Points
A good wine, but not a great Margaux or 85 for me. From a perfect cellar bottle. Fairly muted nose, which shows earthy notes before faint pencil (inc cedar, which is often an 85 indicator). Very deep coloured with great density in the mouth and smooth red and dark fruit. Almost exotic, but lacking great definition of aromas and flavours. As I often find with Margaux there isn't the violets or freshness of the Palmer and the nose is pretty disappointing. I increasingly find Ch Margaux to be more like a smoother and riper St Estephe than the floral Margaux I seek. No hurry here. Smoother although less density than the 83 Margaux - for me both are of equal quality although I prefer the persistence of the 83. Drink to 2040. 94pts
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5/31/2017 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 97 Points
Les Degustateurs 1985 New World vs Old World (George Trois Winnetka, IL): Wow. Had to wrestle this one from the Mrs collection and it's gonna cost me. Great color, nothing missing in the glass. Great showing from the Bordeaux side. #2/8 and 1pt from first place.
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4/11/2017 - Poisey wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hours. So aromatic with big red berry fruit and roses. Tertiary notes of dried herb, leather, lead, cedar and earth. Soft and elegant with a massive concentrated finish that goes on and on. Lingering fine tannin. Structure elegance and power. Drink now-2022.
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4/5/2017 - hajoha wrote:
Bordeaux 1985 horisontal (Oslo): Blekner ved siden av Cheval Blanc.
Blir litt røff og kantete.
Det er vel feil å si at dette ikke er bra vin, men verdt pengene er det nok ikke.
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2/27/2017 - UTPK wrote:
Perfectly mature now. Lovely deep and sweet nose. Forest floor, violets, tobacco and some green herbs. Medium bodied with a sweet and mature attack. Long fresh finish. This shows that 1985 is for the most part a better year than 1986 which never seems to become mature. This vintage is overlooked (at least by me) and delivers big time. But you probably need the big chateaux's to get this much concentration and power from 1985. Great wine!
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2/25/2017 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine of the evening; sweet; very long aftertaste; in perfect balance
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2/14/2017 - spatchmo2 wrote: 95 Points
Perfect place right now. A real treat!
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1/8/2017 - redmancge Likes this wine: 93 Points
3rd of 6 bottles. Nice fill cork came out whole with Ah So. Slow ox'd 2 hrs decanted 1 hour, very little sediment then rebottled for diner at Bristol KC. Lovely Margaux perfume with nice dark ruby color and lovely fruit and cassis. This was after a 95 Lynch Bages at home celebrating my 60th and clearly surpassed that. A great way to get through "the 60th". Seems to be fading since last one. Will probably find some good excuse to drink up sooner than later although sure it still has a little ways to go.
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12/25/2016 - johnnyrichardson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still lovely but these are definitely on the downward slope now...drink up!
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12/7/2016 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chateau Margaux Masterclass Dinner (67 Pall Mall): Fully mature with a silky steel strength. Lovely.
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10/29/2016 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 97 Points
70th Birthday Dinner at Flemings with the 1985, 1986, and 1989 Chateau Margaux and 1946 Massandra, nose of black berry, plum, black cherry, black currants, black pepper and a hint of orange bell pepper, same on the palate, big body, opened big and improved consistently throughout dinner, mouth filling fruit, rich, almost elegant, lovely tasting from start of dinner to finish, always and easily above it's peers tonight, long, flavorful finish, at it's peak, fabulous with the In Bone Filet Mignon. My #1 of 3 and Group #1.
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10/28/2016 - burgburgburg wrote: 93 Points
Level is at bottle neck. An elegant, lovely and charming Margaux. Layered and sumptuous black fruits aroma with beautiful balance. Delicious palate and finish. A lovely Margaux in her own regard.
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9/24/2016 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Base neck. Color still quite good, light but all ruby red. Decanted an hour. Attacking nose, the quality really comes at you. Cassis the first thing there but loads of dark fruit with a tiny bit of cedar. Really get the class on the palate and an amazing soft mouthfeel. This has aged beautifully. I can't help but think this vintage has been underrated.
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8/22/2016 - redmancge Likes this wine: 90 Points
My first aged First Growth enjoyed with my wife on 32nd Anniversary. Nice cork come out whole with Ahso and decanted about 30 minutes. Nice ruby garnet color with dark fruit and smooth mouthfeel but seemed a bit short finish. As Tinybubbles said hope this was just bottle variation that didn't quite live up to what I expected. Have a few more so will see.
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7/16/2016 - cfulbright Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still wonderful. I decanted about 20 minutes before we started to drink it. It held up well for over two hours. Wonderful bottle bouquet of cedar, black stonefruit, and flowers. Very soft, non-intrusive tannins. Finish is pleasant and medium long.
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6/18/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep, dark reddish-purple garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges. Fragrant, aromatic & complex nose of ripe dark fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & cassis, with classic overtones of cigar box notes of cedar & tobacco & floral notes of violets, spices, herbal, earthy/dusty, truffles, leather, olives & a hint of eucalyptus/mint. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & silky smooth texture of elegant & refined, complex, rich, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blueberries & cranberries, earthy, spices, mushrooms, mocha, herbs & minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting and may hold at this plateau for several more years although I doubt it would develop significantly further.
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6/14/2016 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well. Very open with classic aromas. Quite fresh and mistook for right bank wine. Only knock was seemed a little simple, i.e. lacked great complexity.
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5/16/2016 - tinybubbles wrote:
Ripe dark fruit marred by surprisingly fresh and obtuse wood. This bottle was still relatively young, but poorly balanced
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4/8/2016 - tinybubbles Does not like this wine: 87 Points
A disappointing bottle. Ripe and sweet with wood notes on both the nose and palate. Coffee grounds and a roastiness after one hour of air time. I've found a high degree of bottle variability with this wine
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3/28/2016 - tinybubbles Does not like this wine:
A lot of wood on this bottle. Not particularly refined.
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2/14/2016 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine. Still a baby. Can last another 20 years easily. Typical Margaux mochas do licorice flavors. Beautiful structure and long finish
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2/12/2016 - Bacchus&Ceres wrote: 93 Points
Deep dark garnet red, medium fast legs medium weight heavy in mouth, short finish Flavors of dry red fruits with spicy, peppery.
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1/15/2016 - tinybubbles wrote: 90 Points
Tighter than some previous bottles. Did not show much on the nose until one hour in at which point white pepper, earth and musty notes emerged. Smooth on the palate, but lacking some depth, and with an overall sweeter profile than prior bottles that showed as more evolved.
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1/10/2016 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Enough has been said about this wine. Kind of a brave old soldier now. Beautiful, still bold, but very slightly faded. I wouldn't let these get much older
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1/7/2016 - woody57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bought at auction so can be sure of the provenance; drank before and during a prime rib dinner the day after Christmas; drank at the same time as a bottle of '95 Margaux.
Tasted at opening, 30, 60 and 120 mins after decanting; it improved a fair amount after 30-60 mins, but wasn't much better at 2 hours.
The '85 was smoother than the '95, don't know if that's an aging or vintage issue.
There was some bricking in the dusky plum color; Notes of plum, currant; tannins were quite subdued.
I am still moving toward the conclusion that the emperor has no clothes: ie, that the cost of these vintage first growth bordeauxs can't be justified by their quality
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12/17/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
White pepper, damp earth, and some darker notes with air time even though lighter overall in style.
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12/6/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
A great Bx, typical Margaux with silky tannins, I think at his peak, decanted for an hour, pencil, cedar, cigarbox with vanishng fruit bjt still feelable cassis, 94-95
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11/29/2015 - AV2012 wrote: 92 Points
Blindly I put in on a high quality Bordeaux/Rioja from 70s. It tasted a bit older than I expected. Ex cellar bottle.
Very integrated palate, completely melted tannins, soft, very silky flow, fine texture, medium-light body. The primary fruits have mostly faded, there is some ceder and a hint of autumal flowers and some animal aromas, but really not much. Probably not enough complexity at this point, if I am to critique it, but still excellent.
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11/28/2015 - bengti wrote: 90 Points
Bottle was somewhat variable, the intense focussed fruit/candied honey of this terrior was still present, but clouded by ash and dried husks. Structure was not lively. Suspect wasnt stored that well.
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11/19/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyable but simple. Did not exhibit the definition or complexity of the last bottle. Somewhat musty with dry fruit and light soil notes. Decanted 30 minutes, consumed over the following 1.5 hours. 91-92
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11/17/2015 - pl98a Likes this wine: 100 Points
Smooth, lasting
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11/10/2015 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Clearly aged, mature, slightly maroon red color with faint purple highlights; surprisingly opaque color. Mature, meaty nose with slightly rustic and even stinky hints; dried blackcurrant, leather and animal on the fore with tobacco, sous-bois, some floral perfume and a hint of graphite in the background. Overall very complex and elegant appearance with a hint of arrogance and attitude. Generous in the mouth; the palate is definitely mature, but still holds on to youthful characteristics. Complex, layered taste with flavors of dried blackcurrants and prunes, some leather, notes of dried dark fruits and hints of clove spice and cedar. Tannins are still quite tough, but the mouthfeel is silky smooth. Acidity is still going strong, giving the wine nice, lively lift. Hints of dark, ripe cherry sweetness in the tip of the tongue. Long, ample and mature yet dry and structured finish with pronounced acidity, dark and withered fruits, raisined dark grapes and berries, some figs and faint aromatic florality.
A fantastic experience showcasing what a mature Bordeaux really can be. The wine still has both structure and energy and the aromatic depth and complexity is perplexing. However, given its age, the wine is definitely very mature - I've had more youthful Bordeaux that have been only a couple of years older and I've had Barolos as mature as this, but from the early 1970's and late 1960's. Thus, I'd say that the wine has reached its peak some while ago, and while it still might stay there for quite a while, it probably won't evolve much further. As this was served blind, I guessed this was Bordeaux, but given my previous experiences, I guessed initially this would have been much older - so in a sense, this is in a surprisingly mature phase already. Drink up now, I'd say.
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10/30/2015 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Behrens Am Kai *, Düsseldorf, Germany): Perfect mature claret nose, cedar, gravel, wonderful definition and depth; elegant and sweet palate, superb harmony and elegance, generous and feminine, very good length. In perfect shape, a true 1985.
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10/27/2015 - steinersing wrote: 90 Points
from Imperial - similar to last impression not one of the best vintages of Ch Margaux. But pleasant.
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10/25/2015 - FYC wrote:
Earth, dark fruit, black olives, a bit of bell peppers but enough fruit so it's not distracting. Rich and long. Very fine.
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10/25/2015 - Blair Curtis Likes this wine: 95 Points
This was truly outstanding this weekend. We had this bottle (my last one, sadly) as part of a Chateau Margaux vertical and dinner event at a friend's house. We did two flights of Margaux: the first featured '78, '83, and '85. The second had '88, '01 and '04. For me, the 1985 was at the top. This is a wine that still shows enough tannin and stuffing to age for decades still. But at this point the wine is quite enjoyable (even more so with food). The fruit remains powerful and towards the black side of the spectrum. There is some pencil shavings (or lead and cedar if you prefer). The wine is long and balanced. The nose is quite perfumed. The '83 was pretty much equally as good qualitatively, but side-by-side something brought me back to the '85 more often. Top notch Margaux!!!
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10/24/2015 - mjg87 wrote:
Another great Bordeaux. More primary aromas of red and black fruit, but with a hint of earth and some of that Margaux exoticism, and a bit of bell pepper as well. Elegant and youthful on the palate. Very nice indeed.
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10/17/2015 - fcxj wrote: 88 Points
Ficofi from 6L. Just ok.
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9/13/2015 - Purple Tooth wrote: 92 Points
A stunning amount of structure left in this 30 year old bottle. Stubborn tannins are sill pulling on you on the way out, along the long finish..Lacked depth and stuffing in the mid palate, but has the bones to last a long, long time. DRINK or hold.
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9/12/2015 - lepetitchateau wrote: 91 Points
A very pretty wine that has no flaws other being light, not showing much intensity or depth. Pleasant and enjoyable.
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9/11/2015 - joshbryer Likes this wine:
Absolutely fantastic. Floral nose with earth supporting, perfect balance and purity with great fruit left. I had this marked as 'Love++' so I know it was good.
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9/10/2015 - dharrison93 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Splash decanted and drank with friends at a local restaurant. deep ruby in color with no sediment, this wine is fully mature. black cherry and raspberry with a solid accent of Asian spice, this wine is typically Ch. Margaux in walking the line of power and finesse.
If a date, this was a newly retired 45 year old beauty who had a successful 20 year career in a cutthroat industry because she used both brains and considerable sexual charm to full personal advantage. You hope the date never ends but it ends with her cooking you breakfast at her house
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8/28/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 96 Points
Souper de 50 ans à la maison: Simplement épaulée plusieurs heures.
Un nez fascinant, parfumé et subtil, très typé des vieux grands vins du Médoc. D'une grande finesse, avec de classiques notes de cèdre et tabac, boite à cigare, fumée et prunes. En bouche, il montre encore une belle vigueur tannique et une jeunesse superbe, il parait beaucoup plus jeune que la dernière prise en mai dernier à la verticale. Une finale sur la menthe, un brin sèche, mais envoûtante. 96 pts
Sans doute le plus beau nez de la soirée.
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8/13/2015 - chablis28 wrote: 95 Points
Elegance and class along with major depth. Loved the opportunity to drink this wine. Such a pretty wine!
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8/13/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 96 Points
The Godfather Turns Sixty: Go Big or Go Home - Rousseau, Margaux, Lynch, a Trio '02 Champagnes and More! (La Belle Vie, Mpls): VEry dark red/purple color, subtle 3mm margin. Decanted for about 40 minutes tableside. 70+ml pour aver 90 minutes plus. I've said it before, and I'm pretty sure I'll say it again, Margaux is like sex in a glass. It just comes over you in waves and hits you in all the right spots, reverberating on and on. This has such a lovely bouquet, ready to go, yet could have taken even more air. Holy crap, what a nose, wow, an ethereal mix of damp and dry earthy forest floor, a mix of red and black fruits, violets, perfumed,. The palate is just gorgeous, young at 30 years but offering itself so freely for us to appreciate. The fruit is dark and ripe, layers of cassis and mulberry, but so sleek, supple, and well integrated into the minerally, spiced, chocolate back end. Long, so long... I wish it would never end. Thanks so much Brad for sharing this beauty.
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8/1/2015 - Wine_lvr Likes this wine: 92 Points
°°° Bordeaux 1985 °°° (Emmen, Switzerland): Intensive clear red. Nose shows cherries and leather. Great balance and good length but at the same time a bit burgoise and suffering from the dry tannins. Did expect more as I already scored this wine with 95pts. Drink now - 2030
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7/16/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
At Il Mondo Veccchio in Madison with Bob M, celebrating his retirement. Special wine for a special moment...splash decanted at the restaurant. Let it open for 30 minutes before drinking. Drank before/next to an 03 Leoville Poyferre. Had started to show after 15 minutes, 45 in it was really open.
Color still red/garnet. Mild bricking at the edges. Nose was dusted red and dark fruits, earth, floral/lavender. Palate of dusted dark fruits, currants. The is a floral/lavender/violet in the mid palate that is classic Ch Margaux. Texture was soft and silky.
Fully mature, Bordeaux at its finest...at 30 years old this is drinking beautifully but likely has a good arc ahead of it (another 10-15+?). This is why we let these wines mature, really special bottle...
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7/9/2015 - SimonG wrote: 94 Points
85 Claret (La Trompette, London): Blind. Dark and dense, even slightly more brooding than the LLC. There's a florality and violet scented core that's currently clothed in mineral and intrigue. A tannic clip to the finish. Margaux? Starts to open up but needs a few years yet. Probably never as complete or joyous or satisfying as the Palmer, but a serious wine with a density and gravitas. ***(*1/2)
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7/4/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
At age 30, this is in the perfect place to experience its soft, silky, fresh, sweet, red and black fruit pleasures. Elegant, medium/full bodied, with a complex nose and regal, cherry toned finish, there is no reason to pull a cork if you have a bottle. This bottle showed a bit better than some examples as it came directly from the chateau and had not been moved since it was bottled.
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7/2/2015 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
BYO at Goosefoot (Chicago): Best in the lineup. Fully mature and open nose of red fruit, chocolate, some coffee and asphalt. Sweet and silky on the palate. Gorgeous depth and grip on the long finish. Beautiful.
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6/11/2015 - MarceloIdeses wrote: 97 Points
Still young. Lots of leather, tobbaco and chocolate. Wonderfull wine.
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6/6/2015 - steinersing wrote: 91 Points
Nice but not that impressive.
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5/22/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 94 Points
Verticale du Château Margaux: Un nez évolué, tertiaire mais charmeur, avec ses notes de cuir, de fougère, d'herbes grillées. La bouche est d'une magnifique texture dans un style austère, mais d'une élégance princière. Il est peut-être un peu évolué, mais se révèle d'une grande complexité, avec une superbe longueur. J'ignore si la bouteilles est au top de ce qu'elle devrait être ou si le vin le vin amorce tranquillement son déclin. En l'état, il reste tout de même grand, quoique à boire sans trop tarder. 94 pts
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4/17/2015 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Bordal chez RPB (Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Lafite...) (Vessy): Une des couleurs les plus sombres. Nez d'abord retenu, s'ouvrant après 30 minutes dans le verre. Arômes de fruits rouges et noirs, de fleurs. Le toucher en bouche est exceptionnel, très soyeux, féminin.
La finale est très longue, élancée grâce à des tanins fins.
Sur la base de cette bouteille, le vin a encore de belles années à vivre.
Reconnu margaux.
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3/14/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not a classic Margaux for the ages but drinking perfectly tonight. Soft, ripe and so elegant with more reddish fruits with hints of olives and Asian spices. The tannins have melted away here and the wine is in such a good drinking spot tonight that of all the vintages we drank, this is probably the one I'd take to dinner tonight. So pretty and very ready to drink.
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3/12/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
While not technically the best wine at the dinner, relative to its potential this wine may have been in the best spot. Smooth and enjoyable, paired well with roast veal. Strong white and bell pepper, menthol and mint notes, with balanced spice. Now is a great time to drink this one.
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2/22/2015 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Second Sunday Group: Margaux (M's): Herb, green currants, red berry and tobacco aromas. Soft tannins are still present. Flavors of red currants, cassis and florals. With air this takes on a very distinct eucalyptus note with underlying red fruit and florals. I wonder if this could be an older Heitz Martha's? Long finish dominated by dark fruit and floral qualities. Got better as it sat, and would have taken my top spot had I been one of the last to turn in my rankings. 93-94+ pts.
My #2, Domino's #4
Group #2, 39 pts
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2/16/2015 - premiercruclasse wrote: 99 Points
Consumed @ Food Affair with HJ. There was some seepage out of the cork, but I was so relieved that the bottle wasn't ruined. Smells a little like Chinese medicine. Smooth and a little smokey. Balanced in every way. Nose got more and more complex in the glass. Herby finish. The bottle went by so quickly. I don't know how it could have been any better than this.
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2/9/2015 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
prima fles, nog in goede conditie, mooie rondingen, zacht, nog mooi fruit, heerlijke klassieke neus, verleidelijk
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12/8/2014 - Biglama Likes this wine: 94 Points
donker rood van kleur, klassieke neus, potlood, klein beetje riool lucht,
sigarenkistje, rijp rood fruit, zachte tonen, zwoel, goed geouderd, nu nog prima drinkbaar, loopt wel naar zijn einde toe, 5 of 6 jaar nog wel te gaan
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10/13/2014 - vindictive wrote:
Bordeaux dinner - first growths, blancs and d'Yquem. Bottle, fill and cork all good -(label water damaged). Excellent and one of the best tonight. Beautiful perfumed aromatics with barnyard, earth etc.. This was breathing for about 4 hours before dinner - the Margaux barnyard scents blow off with time. Should last a few more decades, but superb now.
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6/8/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 98 Points
Powerful nose of cassis, menthol, characoal, smoke, ... very primary black fruit, cassis, very long aftertaste of 60 sec
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6/6/2014 - ilee Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dinner at home with Mrs L, PH, VK and Ms C (At home): This bottle is somewhat less expressive compared to previous bottles. Classic tell-tale floral mineral nose, still a very fine, elegant mature Bordeaux that is fully mature and drinking nicely. Coming up to 30 years of age; drink up!
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5/30/2014 - Zweder wrote: 98 Points
Bordeaux 1985 as main theme (@ Bottles; Sas van Gent, Netherlands): Beautiful and very tempting bouquet with black fruits, cedar, smoke etc. On the palate the same flavors as well as some chocolate. Beautiful harmony also with the acidity and soft tannin with still a nice bite. Exclusive, refined, complex and feminine. This bottle could have last several more years.
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4/2/2014 - Hebrew Hammer wrote: 97 Points
- Brick color.
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3/30/2014 - jmoon Likes this wine: 99 Points
Truly outstanding, with soft cheese. Beguiling
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2/2/2014 - Margauxguy wrote: 95 Points
Ruby color. This wine was decanted 4 hours. No browning. Oak on the nose. Classic left bank bordeaux nose. 1985 was a good year. Cassis, cedar and some barnyard components on the nose. On the palate, surprisingly massive for a Margaux, generally known for its lighter, elegant, floral, violet, perfumed wines. On the palate, initially hard. Cedar and tobacco. Well balanced. Turned silky. Like a Latour with its minerality, power, structure and dryness. Medium tannins, but soft. Great mouthfeel. Will improve over the next 20 years, but drinking nicely now. 18++
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11/3/2013 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Big Bordeaux Event VI (Kevin's House (Minneapolis)): Excellent and wine of the night. Blueberries, cherry, dust, gravel and stones. Nice charcoal element on the palate and super long, concentrated finish. This should be enjoyed now but it might not hurt to hold for a few years. Decanted 4 hours.
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11/3/2013 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
Big Bordeaux VI: Margaux; 11/2/2013-11/3/2013 (Kevin's house): A 4 hour decant. Sweet red bell pepper, savory red fruit and spice on the nose. Lush complex taste of red fruit on a charred earth backbone. There's a lot going on here, but to quibble, a little too much bell pepper.
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11/2/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
Big Bordeaux VI: Stars of Margaux including '85 & '95 Margaux, '85 & '96 Palmer, Plus 1988 d'Yquem & More (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Purple red color. 4hr decant, 2oz pour. Spectacular nose, perfumed, violets, sandalwood, leather, cedar plank, spice, cassis, dark berries. The palate is just gorgeous, supple, caressing, crushed stones, full body, cassis, dark berries, finishing very, very long - 60s plus. This is fully mature and in a wonderful place right now, yet it still has a good bit of life left. I would be confident in 5-10 years with good storage. 95+pts, my and group WOTN.
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10/13/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
Dayliao MNSC (Guo Fu Lao): alluring, feminine, with a sweet and floral finish.
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8/30/2013 - spatchmo2 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is drinking real good now. Still very youthful and full of flavor. Opened and decanted for 5 hours seemed to be a perfect amount of time. This wine is complex and smooth. I could still taste it the next day that's how much power this baby packs. I will repurchase this wine. Have to have again.
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8/3/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 96 Points
Angela's Belated Birthday Dinner (Crown Wine Cellars, 18 Deep Water Bay Drive, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong): Decanted for 3 hours then drank over the next 3 hours. Colour is ox-blood and still fully opaque except for the smallest transparent meniscus. Nose is soft and caressing, with initially quite reticent but deep red currant fruit, damp loam, kirsch notes, graphite....it just balloons with growing complexity in the glass. Wow, such linear purity, heady....oh, gosh! Oh....I can't stop sniffing it and don't even want to start drinking it....mesmerising. Palate is clean, clear and precise....absolutely poised....great acidic balance and charming femininity of black and red currants and berries. Extremely defined balance and tension of evolved tannin, fruit and acidity.Beautiful pencil-point sharpness of definition. Concentrated but very feminine. This is absolutely harmonious and in its perfect drinking window. A lighter vintage of Ch. Margaux but gorgeously feminine and compelling. It drank perfectly with rare-grilled herb-crusted rack of lamb. A treasure for drinking now. Thanks, Greg! 96-97.
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6/8/2013 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Dream tasting (@ Merlet): Refined and mature bouquet, at first a bit musty, but that disappears quite quickly. Then earth, mushrooms, tobacco and sweet oak. On the palate still some red and dark berries, smoke, some pleasant bell pepper, luxurious oak, good acidity and melted tannin. Enormous length and completely ready. A beauty!
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6/8/2013 - jkoenen wrote: 96 Points
Dreamtasting #5 (Restaurant Merlet, Schoorl): (*) Gorgeous perfume, tiny red berries and currants, cigarillos. Distant hints of cappucino, wet soil and undergrowth, dried black cherries and fresh cranberries. Airy and light on its feet, yet very persuasive and demanding attention. Weighty, well structured mid-palate. Fantastic in its definition, fine grained acidity, maximum integration of tannines and structure. In the middle of its drinking plateau, will hold up for several years to come. This is all about balance and harmony, this is ultimate elegance..., magnificant! 19/20
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4/30/2013 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com Does not like this wine:
Bordeaux 1st Growth Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs; 4/30/2013-5/1/2013 (TWO CHEFS, MIAMI, FL): Bob R's wine. The Group felt this bottle was FLAWED! To me, it seemed subject to HEAT STRESS!
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4/29/2013 - melzar wrote: 95 Points
From 750 with fill into bottom neck. Still very youthful and in an extended plane of maturity. Iron on the nose and palate initially. Fruit really blossoms after an hour of air. Impeccable balance, and a finish that goes on for over a minute. Bordeaux doesn't get much better tan this!
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4/26/2013 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Another terrific bottle, the 85 margaux is just sailing along nicely. Popped and poured the floral perfumed nose gives way to warm toasty notes of red and dark berries on the velvety palate. Just another reason to be nostalgic for the 1980s, before money and science (and climate change?) enabled all and sundry to make good wines year in and year out, so great wines like this from a not-so-great year, opened nearly 3 decades later, are that rare and delightful gift of luck!
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4/16/2013 - Wine_lvr wrote: 95 Points
Bright red. Hints of smoke, leather, coffee and licorice. Taste of strawberries. Very elegant w/o giving away any of the complexity. Classical claret and for sure one of the great old style 1985 Bordeaux. No hurry. Drink - 2025.
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4/13/2013 - oldwines wrote: 94 Points
Perfectly mature light garnet and brick color. Nose of earthy licorice and red fruit with a hint of chocolate. The mouthfeel is light and velvety. Great initial flavors of red fruits and grilled mushrooms, but I was honestly a little disappointed with the very short aftertaste. Still a wonderful wine but... This was served along side 1985 Heitz Martha's Vineyard. Very close comparison but I think the aftertaste made the difference for me and I have to say the Heitz was marginally better.
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4/7/2013 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Considerably better than the last bottle. Decanted and drank over 3 hours. Great nose of bright red fruit, flowers, leather, sweet tobacco and earth. The palate matched with wonderful freshness and a full, round silky texture. Layered. A nice long finish with a touch of herb. Great wine.
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3/30/2013 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
A pronounced smell of violets, black raspberries, earth, tobacco and cherry open to a soft, voluptuous, round wine. Probably close to fully mature, this is drinking in its sweet spot. The only minor drawback might be a bit of rusticity in the tannins and a hint of green herbs in the otherwise, sweet, cherry finish.
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2/20/2013 - nortonnose Likes this wine: 95 Points
From 750ml, VTS fill: stood bottle for 9 hours, slow ox'd 90 mins, poured into decanter and served. Amazingly consistent with my 12/10/2012 note. I cannot find a seam to discuss! Ruby red in color, magnificent purity in appearance. Soft, earthy, pretty perfume on the nose. Once again: pure, sweet, full, round synchronicity on the palate. Medium-plus finish. She is an elegant doll - drink soon (no reason to wait).
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1/25/2013 - vindictive wrote:
bottle and fill excellent, cork was soaked most of the way up. Excellent aged bordeaux, alot of life left, seemed best after about 3 hours in the decanter. Should last a very long time, but I am glad we tried this sooner given the cork.
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12/10/2012 - nortonnose Likes this wine: 95 Points
It is simply spectacular what fully mature, wonderfully crafted wine can be. Ruby red in color, magnificent purity in appearance. There is nothing "OMG" (or LOL, for that matter!) about the taste of this wine, other than the brilliance of purity and its sweet, round synchronicity. All I could think was that old cliche "[much!] greater than the sum of its parts." It's terrific, and it makes you believe it really might taste like this forever. That said, probably wise to enjoy this sooner than later. If its finish was a bit longer, or weightier, I'd have easily given 96pts.
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11/20/2012 - JiaLiBai Likes this wine: 95 Points
The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. Well balanced, Blueberry, Black currant (cassis), Prune, Espresso. Distinct notes of Violet, and Lavender pops out.
The body is Medium/Full. The wine has Silky texture. The wine finishes Medium.
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11/15/2012 - godx wrote: flawed
Alvin’s 60th Birthday Dinner (Le Gavroche): Cooked.
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11/14/2012 - ricknat1 wrote: 92 Points
I was again in the minority. Not one of my favorite Margaux's, but still a nice Margaux. Blown away by the 86 Lafleur served with it and the 86 Gruaud before it.
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10/13/2012 - johnh1001 wrote: 92 Points
Drank over 2 hours. The nose was the best part of this wine. Sweet tobacco, leather, some earth and sweet dark fruit. Very pretty. The palate somehow seemed burnt and a bit tart with more earth and dark fruit. Silky texture and full in the mouth. Long finish but shorter than I expected. Maybe this wasn't the best example.
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8/15/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Earth, smoke, tobacco, cassis, herbs, truffle, tobacco and an odd sensation of tomato created the aromatics. The wine is sweet, soft and round, but there was a bit of roughness to the tannins with a minor touch of green in the cassis and blackberry dominated finish. Even with its faults, or virtues, depending on what you like in a wine, this charming Bordeaux wine is ready to drink and offers a lot of pleasure.
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8/9/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for about 90 minutes - drank over 2 hours side by side with an 89 Lynch Bages. Fruits started to show more as the wine opened up.
Classic Bordeaux, very smooth, light mouthfeel. Would describe as elegant.
Nose was pencil, earth, floral/lavender. Dark fruits, currant, mineral. Really spectacular. Probably peaking in the next few years. - in it's prime
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7/29/2012 - Poggio Al vento wrote: 97 Points
The second time in a short period I have been lucky enough to taste this amazing wine:-) The nose was right out of the bottle extremely lovely and balanced with clear tones of dark fruit, smoke, leather and cigar-box all in perfect harmony. The Palet was ultra-smooth and so soft and velvet and the finish was hitting on all the cylinders and really hanging on for a nice long while. This second bottle was just amazing and I will never forget this one with its sexy still elegant style:-=)
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7/28/2012 - Chrisw97 wrote: 91 Points
The wine took a long time to open up and show its true colors. Ripe dark berries, kirsch,slight floral hints on the nose. Medium to full bodied but the finish was not as impressive.
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6/24/2012 - Poggio Al vento wrote: 95 Points
The nose was a first glims pushing me towards maybe Toscana cab but with a little bit of air the Pauillac showed more with leather and cigarbox but there was quite a bit of spices on the nose also with was also present on the pallet! the wine was somewhat sweet and diffidently the most "sweet" of the 5 big ones I have tasted yet but is was a brilliant wine with a lot of intensity and still quite powerful and the notes on both the nose and the palet kept on developing and he finish was a real blockbuster with long persistency! Although the spices was a bit out of order for me and hence the "low" score for this wine that is supposed to be the wintage-winner!
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6/7/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Acker Merrall BYO (Sepia - Chicago IL): Very muted, seemingly stripped of fruit. I thought this slightly corked, others didn't.
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6/2/2012 - Margauxguy wrote: 94 Points
Still tight and tannic, fruit is developing, looking forward to the next bottle.
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6/1/2012 - -E- wrote: 91 Points
Bordeaux Søskenparsmaking (Moss, Norway): Dårlig kork. Dyp rød/brunrød med oransje kant. Floral, fin nese av sopp, jord og med et lett honningpreg. Bløt, saftig frukt med svakt hint av rosin. God vin, men dessverre ikke helt bra flaske.
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6/1/2012 - LWI wrote: 92 Points
Bordeaux Siblings (Moss, Norway): Cork was moldy and broke into many pieces. Champignon, forest floor, mature berries, complex, elegant, some sweetness. Although a very good wine, it was too developed, stored incorrectly?
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4/28/2012 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with Mrs and LH (On Lot 10, Hong Kong): Floral perfume of Margaux strikes again in yet another pleasant encounter with what is now firmly shaping up as one of my clear favourite Bordeaux from the 80's. Dark fruits, currants and minerals were also in the delightful mix of flavours present in this genteel, silky wine. Drinking very nicely -- I've been lucky with these bottles
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4/18/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 89 Points
Heavy and very cedary and dull. Not a good bottle?
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2/29/2012 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
An amazing meal (Rhys, SQN, KB, Margaux, Angelus, Ducru, Kalin): Slow-oxed for an hour and then decanted for about an hour. This was delicious. Showing quite well and seemingly at peak. Cassis, a bit of toast, and a floral perfumed note on the nose. This is layered and complex, while showing no signs of being past prime. Excellent with dinner this is restrained yet vibrant. Wonderful wine.
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2/24/2012 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
This is the perfect time to catch this medium/full bodied wine. With its tobacco, truffle, smoke, forest floor, blackberry, leaf and earthy perfume, soft, elegant, refined textures and long, sweet, velvety finish, this is drinking beautifully today. I'd drink it over the next 10-15 years.
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2/4/2012 - NewFrenchClaret Likes this wine: 98 Points
Popped this for my wife's birthday. Decanted for about an hour and a half and paired with lamb.
This wine was sensational. Layers of violets and cherries, followed by a very pronounced beef jus flavor. Then redwood forest floor, charcoal, pencil lead and earth. A tinge of apricot perhaps, mixed with a pruney tobacco aroma. A hint of menthol and bracing sea air. Every glass threw up something new- there were so many layers of flavor it's impossible to list them all.
The real treat for me comes on the palate and the finish. It's tremendously full and rich, and coats the inside of your mouth in a kind of silken loveliness. The finish goes on for ages. This wine is fabulous right now but should hold at this level for a few more years yet. I think I will have to buy some more.
I rated a 96- my wife says 98. It's her birthday so we'll say 98.
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1/14/2012 - John Nezlek wrote: 91 Points
91 -- at best. In the last month, I have had a '97 Cos and an '82 du Tertre, both of which I am confident would best this in a blind tasting. Yes' 97 was an off-year, and yes, du Tertre is not in the same class as Margaux., but I was a bit underwhelmed by this bottle.
Comparisons aside, a well-integrated bottle, that I suspect was at its prime a few years ago. Not too much fruit in my bottle. It did not have the richness and perfume that I expected.Moreover, the bottle did not have the secondary flavors/tastes that I associate with aged Bordeaux. Still some tannins hanging around which became more prominent toward the end of the bottle.
Good cork. Good nose at opening. Let it breathe for 20 min or so, then put it into a small bottom decanter, which seemed to help.
Bottom line: Was this a good bottle of wine? Absolutely. Perhaps/probably an excellent bottle. Was it worth the 240USD I paid for it (present retail double that)? I don't think so. If I had a bottle, I would drink it soon.
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12/25/2011 - melzar wrote:
Not rated. I consistently rate this wine in the mid 90's. Not corked, but still an off bottle. Muted nose, and a little musty. Lots of sediment and oak. Little fruit. Fill into neck. Good cork. bad luck!
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11/23/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
Roland/Louisa dinner with Douglas/Jen, Har/Heidi, Hendrick/Sylvia, Arthur/Marcia (West Villa): seductive and velvety with gorgeous nose of flowers, currants and liquorice. lovely
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11/20/2011 - vancouvermatt wrote: 96 Points
Terrific! Great body, 60 second finish. Notes of blackberries, currant, cassis, and a floral nose.
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10/17/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
5 Spice, truffle, cassis, tobacco, olives, blackberry and forest aromas lead to a soft textured entry. On the palate, this fully mature, plush Margaux wine is concentrated with elegant layers of round, dark berries, hints of red fruit and a minor touch of greeness in the finish. I'm not sure this has much room to improve, but this delightful Margaux should remain at this level for at least another 15 or more years.
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10/8/2011 - Margauxguy wrote: 96 Points
1st, I'm biased, I LOVE Margaux. When opened, I was a little worried, a bit of barnyard, iodine, bramblly when first popped. That blew of, to reveal a lovely perfume of violets, dark fruits and Margaux elegance. Had side by side with a DRC RSV and an 86 Le Pin (my first). Once it opened, a plush, very pure, seductive palate of dark cherries and plums, beautiful balance, with a hint of truffles and licorice. Drank over 2.5 hors, and it continued to open and reveal layers of complexity. Long finish, round, mouth coating and elegant. God, I love this wine and producer. Every time I drink one, my heart breaks, cause I have 1 less bottle left.
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9/6/2011 - Biglama wrote: 94 Points
goede ervaring, deze fles heeft meer inhoud, mooie klassieke neus, heeft nog fruittonen, cederhout, smaak is elegant en zacht, alles mooi aanwezig, heeft veel klasse, kan nog wel even mee
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8/22/2011 - french16 wrote:
Wow, what a great bottle of Margaux. Really complex nose which started a little minty to then show a hint of licorice, earthy and floral notes with cassis. There's also a nice savory (kind of a hint of Worcester sauce) note. The palate is as beautiful as the nose with absolutely no hard edges and velvety. The fruit is pure. The mid-palate is actually a little thin (this bottle should have been decanted and was still developing when finished) but then the finish simply explodes to a very very very long finish. So elegant. Stunning Margaux.
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8/13/2011 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Nothing more to add to previous notes -- another enjoyable bottle of a wine that is sitting at its sweet spot of drinkability
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8/13/2011 - oldwines wrote: 94 Points
Soft and refined, slight barnyard on the nose early, then chocolate and red fruit. Smooth and delicious. Aftertaste was a little short and is the reason I found it not quite as good as the '85 Caymus SS I also had with the steaks. seemed just a little flat at the end of 6 hours. But a great bottle with some life left but not likely to improve in my opinion.
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6/25/2011 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with TH and friends (Bisteca, Central, HK): Another great bottle of this wine, despite its shabby labels and TS fill. Purchased (for what I thought was a bargain) at the AMC auction in HK in late May, the case arrived at home a few weeks later and the Mrs and I simply had to open one to have a few sips. Simply superb, with tell-tale Margaux nose of flowers and earth, this medium-bodied claret just gives off class without coming across as a show off. Bottle was brought to dinner many hours later, and was still going strong. Compared with what some recent vintages of Margaux are selling for, the 1985 vintage must be one of the few relative bargains left in the overbought marketplace for first growth Bordeaux.
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6/14/2011 - sdr wrote: flawed
Excess VA. Dry cork which crumbled readily.
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5/10/2011 - JohnFalstaff wrote: 97 Points
Nose: graphite, blackcurrant, violets. Fully mature. Taste: very gentle, subtle and elegant. Flavours constantly interchanging, a magical experience. Perfectly balanced. A long beguiling aftertaste. Wonderful.
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4/16/2011 - curtr wrote: 95 Points
Wow! Great depth from magnum. Very complex. Blew away the 1983 in 750 ml.
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3/11/2011 - Ramberg wrote: 96 Points
Stumbled across some old TN’s while cleaning out a drawer in my office, from a winemakers diner with Paul Pontallier (who sadly left us a year ago) from Chateau Margaux as our host.
Had this from Magnum.
Amazing Bordeaux, and wotn, by far.
Nose is intriguing and challenging, with layers of mixed impressions, ranging from the spectrum of fresh red flowers to old English gentleman…
Fresh red flowers, leather, green spicy herbs, touch of stable, cigar box, smoked oak and dusty gravel, licorice, minerals, red and black currants, forest berries, forest floor with damp autumn leafs and wet earth.
Palate was equally fine and complex, kind of mirrors the impressions of the nose, with a mixture of both maturity and youth.
Rich and full of red ripe and silky fruit, currants and berries, with tobacco leafs and sweet licorice.
Long, silky, with good acidity and superb balance.
This is a semi mature bottle (remember, in Magnum format) with more to reveal, but lovely now.
A very fine bottle of Margaux, indeed.
(95 – 97)
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2/18/2011 - Biglama wrote: 91 Points
rode kleur, duidelijk op leeftijd, fruit is bijna verdwenen, nu komen echt de ouderdomstonen naar voren, iets van metaal, ijzer, mineraal, licht aards,
klein beetje rood fruit, smaak is zacht en beschaafd, heeft nog voldoende vulling en wat concentratie, word niet meer beter, binnen 3 jaar wel opdrinken. blijft toch een mooie ervaring, heel beschaafd glas
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2/14/2011 - melzar wrote: 96 Points
Iron on the nose initially,opening to show more fruit with time in the glass. Not decanted. Tannins completely resolved, and wine is at peak now.will hold for a while, but not likely improve.Sweet Cabernet fruit on the palate, and enough acidity to provide a long finish. Blows away the '82,'83,and'86 in my estimation. Glad Robert Parker has under estimated this wine, and it remains at least relatively affordable.
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2/3/2011 - dr g wrote: 95 Points
After aprevoius bottle this one was again faboulous and worth every penny. Not decanted initially closed an no lenght
after 30 min in the glass the wine became spectacolous
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12/27/2010 - Old Claret wrote: 90 Points
Drank with mushroom risotto made by Richard Alexander at home. A disappointment. Lacked the Margaux nose and richness. Lacked fruit.
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12/25/2010 - ilee wrote: 95 Points
Opened and poured without decanting. Beautiful floral nose that is classic Margaux. Superb sweet core of berries, intermingled with notes of camphor and nutmeg. Medium bodied, with great harmony and balance, and a tidy long finish -- a great example of mature claret of the finest breeding. Opened a bottle of this at Christmas last year, and this one is just as good. I've never had this wine much younger so can't make any comparisons, but at 25 years of age it is simply fabulous.
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12/18/2010 - dr g wrote: 85 Points
The bottle semed closed
no impressive nose, vertical 2004,1998 and 1985
Most impressive was the 1998 95/100
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10/16/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
A fully mature vintage showing all it has. Slightly soft in the style of the vintage, Fragrant, sweet on the attack, just slightly dry on the finish, at least this particular bottle. Not one of the truly great vintages of Chateau Margaux, but readily enjoyable now.
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10/15/2010 - G_H wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind out of a half bottle, therefore the wine was a bit more advanced. Well balanced with a beautiful feminine nose. Palate was a bit on the light side.
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9/26/2010 - rwstorer wrote: 93 Points
Clear medium red in color. Aromas of mint and menthol with red fruits. Balanced flavors of cherry, currant and a hint of spice. Very enjoyable and drinking really well.
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8/12/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Coconut, herbs, cherry, tobacco and earthy scents are easy to find. This concentrated, fully mature Bordeaux wine offers a long, blackberry, spice and cassis filled finish. But some rusticity in the tannins takes away from the otherwise outstanding Bordeaux wine.
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6/22/2010 - ed-d wrote: 96 Points
Stewed prune on the nose. Pretty blueberry flavors that are lush & young & sweet with some deeper black currant coming on later in the mouth. Spicy tannins. Beautiful wine. Tasted blind.
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5/7/2010 - cab blends wrote: 90 Points
American Heart Association - Dinner and Evening presented by Chateau Margaux (Mellon Auditorium - DC): Great chalky, dusty nose, almost like a South African Cab nose. This was from a magnum so would not have aged as quickly as the normal bottles which I believe are now at their peak according to the winemaker who was with us. The taste was not as great as the bouquet but a classic bordeaux and this was better than the 1993 but for me behind the 1999.
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4/29/2010 - flerve wrote:
I have no experience drinking old Bordeaux, and not even much experience drinking young first growths, but I ordered this at a restaurant expecting the best bottle of my life. The cork was stained all the way to the top. It smelled and originally tasted mostly of age, I asked the Sommelier to taste it and she thought it tasted much older than a 1985, but she thought that with time it would come around. I had a flight to catch so I only had an hour and a half, so we decanted and I swirled vigorously throughout. It did improve and start to show some fruit and complexity, but even as I was leaving, it was merely Good and not Great. I suspect there was a problem with the bottle, but the Som wasn't going to admit that about a $1550 bottle, and I won't be buying another bottle to find out.
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3/8/2010 - Redrum wrote: 98 Points
Stellar. After an hour and a half decant, nose still had a hint of turpentine poking through a rich bouquet of black fruit and potting soil. The mouthfeel of this wine was soft and smooth, and the flavors deep and complex. I lack the experience with first growth bordeaux to say this particular wine is peaking at the ripe age of 25, but its hard to imagine it could get better.
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1/3/2010 - BIlgen wrote: 87 Points
Dark red, no signs of old age
Cosed nose, wood, soft fruit
Strong, full bodied, nuance, wood, soft
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12/31/2009 - dbg wrote:
Fill well into neck, cork soaked to top. Opened and "slow oxygenated" for 2-3 hours, with about half an ounce poured out for a preliminary taste. Dark red center, lightening at rim. Fabulous nose of cassis, "Margaux-berries" leather and tobacco with some floral hints. Medium body, flavors do not live up to the nose at first but begin to develop after 30 minutes in the glass. Very nice balance, smooth mouthfeel, good fruit, resolved tannins,but no real old leaves/sweet aged notes in the mix that come with the very best old bottles of bordeaux. Still outstanding.
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12/25/2009 - City Wine Journal wrote: flawed
Auction Bottle. Slow opened, then decanted. A bit musty cardboard for about 45 minutes on the nose, but eventually some of the virtues of this First Growth overwhelmed the slight overlay of corkiness. Firm, seemingly still young, brighter rather than deep on the evening of tasting, with more depth confirmed the next morning from the decanter, this wine, properly stored should continue on a favorable evolution. But this sample was not on point -- not equal to a recent quite excellent '79, which it should have hurdled with ease.
Based on other notes here, is it possible the '85 seems to be a little more prevalent with cork taint in this vintage than others? Absent that, it soars to great heights, which is not uncommon for other Margaux appellation wines from 1985 (Rauzan Segla comes to mind). Really this would be my first questioned experience with a Ch. Margaux. One '85 remains and hopefully will present itself in proper form!
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10/17/2009 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 95 Points
My 1st First Growth. This wine reminded me of the 1985 Cos d'Estournel I had had recently, because it had the same wonderful and huge nose of earth, oak, cherry, cassis, and stinky cigar. At the time I drank this wine, I remember thinking it just had all you could want in a nose for a Bordeaux. It also had lots of intensity in the palate, with fruit, earth, and oak, and despite that was just so easy to drink. I finished the bottle with my date and boy did we wish we had more. For the price, I do wish it was even better, but only because the Cos was a third or fourth the price and delivered virtually the same experience. Still, a great wine.
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10/16/2009 - MauriceE wrote: 93 Points
Tasting of Rhône and some blinds by the DRC-club (Brugweg - Velp): Served blind from Arnoud's cellar. Most tasters confused it for cabernet franc, but I'm happy to say I said from the beginning (like Bob) this just had to be cabernet sauvignon. I even guessed Margaux, but to be honest I meant the village, not the château, because I found it lacking that bit of class I consider to be typical for Château Margaux. But it turned out to be the grand seigneur after all. Very enjoyable, but not the greatness I'm used to from my favorite Bordeaux.
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9/13/2009 - pinkfloyd wrote: 92 Points
cork had some mold, and wine had mild premature ageing
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7/1/2009 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Cassis, black fruits and cedar aromas greet your nose and the rich ripe fruit please your palate. Very silky and rich, but, lacking the concentration of the great years.
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6/28/2009 - 60ouvrees wrote:
This is in a perfect spot right now and drinking great.
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5/29/2009 - Miceri wrote: 97 Points
More sweet and more flavour than the 1982. Soft, round and mild.
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4/4/2009 - Jay A wrote: 95 Points
Great stuff. Nose of fruit and leather. In the mouth there was red cassis fruit, leather and tobacco. The wine was typical Margaux - a good amount of power while at the same time having grace. It is in a good place now, but it certainly has more life ahead. Excellent wine.
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1/23/2009 - Siggy wrote: 94 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - '75, '83 and '85 Bordeaux (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Second time I've tasted this. Another terrific showing. Floral, beautifully perfumed signature Margaux nose. The palate is rich and silky, with a core of dark cherry fruit and complex secondary flavors. A touch of green pepper and smoke. Sweet and savory. Delicious. WOTF.
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1/23/2009 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
This is my third time with this wine and the last two have been underwhelming. The color is a deep red bordering on black. The nose offers reserved dark fruit with an endearing floral note. Much better on the palate with awesome flavor intensity that really rings the taste buds. Silky texture, medium weight, some structure but no obvious tannin and a long, satisfying finish. Excellent wine, but my expectations were higher.
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1/2/2009 - Blade wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle.
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11/22/2008 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
It's ready; it's excellent; it's fragrant with that very special "Margauxberry" aroma. On the palate, it's medium in weight but not as delicious to drink as it is to smell. The tannin is resolved and there's good acidity, but maybe just a bit too dry. There seems to be a lot of bottle variation with the '85 Margaux, even from well-stored bottles.
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9/13/2008 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Very good color. Pretty Margaux nose of sweet tobacco earth, blackberries and chocolate charred oak. Best after about 2 hours of decanting after which the tannins ameliorate. A beautiful, lighter-bodied Margaux with wonderful complex flavors of smoked wood and charred blackberries. So elegant and balanced and fabulously complex on the finish. This was a very good bottle of this wine bought at auction from the cellars of Bipin Desai. I think this wine should be drunk right now, at its peak.
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8/22/2008 - garyl wrote:
was very uneventfull and not worthy of this wine and this vintage
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6/6/2008 - ChiefNose Likes this wine: 95 Points
Has the very classy nose of old school Bordeaux; cedar & sandalwood, inside og a cigar box with this beautiful dryness. Brownred on the edge, a taste of matured fruits; a very nice wine. On its top now
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5/9/2008 - flight wrote: flawed
The bottle was not good. It had been stored to long. It tasted like cork.
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4/18/2008 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
The perfume is intoxicating and the palate enjoys a long, concentrated finish of silky, dense, ripe fruit. Very classy. This will last and continue evolving for at least another 20 years
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1/24/2008 - Jester wrote: 97 Points
Wow! Opened this to pair with my birthday dinner of Blue Crab and Perigourd Truffle Gnocchi and a Venison Trio at Restaurant August in New Orleans. Opened to find that the wine had creeped almost all the way up the cork, but leakage was not evident. Cork broke, but came out in two solid pieces. Decanted for about an hour and a half. I was quite concerned with the first taste, as the wine seemed to be a little light and austere. The restaurant's sommelier came by for a taste and made the erroneous suggestion that she smelled a little corkiness, but I didn't find it at all........However, even if it was there ( and I doubt it was, she was simply jealous, hehe ) it blew off quickly. Right after pouring there was a real musty gaminess and meaty aromas and flavors that I think she was mistaking for TCA. Of course, it must not have bothered her too much because she pretty much dove over two tables to get the last few sediment filled ounces in the bottom of the bottle as we were leaving our table. So, over the next hour this wine blossomed into the most beautifully noble and pure red wine that I've had in a long time. Its funny that people have the impression that Bordeaux doesn't have the same fruit as big rich Cali Cabs. This wine was so chock full of jammy plum and cassis flavors, it was stunning. As the bottle was consumed, there were evolving flavors of sweet maraschino cherry, ripe plump raspberries, and blackberry jam. The fruit was beautiful in its purity and enormous concentration, but it was the secondary flavors that really made this wine.........it seemingly morphed with every sip........leather, dark rich soil, eucalyptus, stewed game, herbs de Provence, mushrooms, sweet pipe tobacco. This was heaven in a bottle. Perfect ripe fruit, velvety smooth tannin structure, and a finish that literally lasted minutes. If you can find a bottle of this, get it. If you have some, I would venture to guess that, if stored properly, this wine will last for another decade or more easily. I am simply ecstatic that I have another bottle left in the cellar. Wow!!!
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12/11/2007 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
Strikingly wonderful and one of the best examples of this wine I've ever had (decanted for 3 hours). Sometimes it has been ungenerous and borderline hard, unforgiveable for Chateau Margaux. Not this time though, from the healthy deep ruby color to the first whiff of black cherry/blackberry fruit it was clear this was going to be special. In the mouth, there's excellent texture and depth of fruit with the '85 tender tannins in the background holding it together. Then another burst of the same fruit hits the back of the palate on the way down. Not as massive as the '82 (or '86) but better focused and more approachable at this point. And while not as complex as the idiosyncratic '83, it's clearly one of the top wines of the vintage and I would not quarrel with anyone who declared it the best of the best.
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11/16/2007 - thomaskeil wrote: 95 Points
"Bring your Best" Reno tasting (Mark and Megan's): Decanted 90+ minutes. Garnet with edges browned. Attention-grabbing nose of red fruits, flowers, earth, leather and spice which really flowed from the glass. The palate was edgier, more focused, yet more complex than the '83 Palmer. Except for the slightly tart finish which led into an incredibly long finsh, this would have been completely off-the-charts wne.
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9/21/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Kitchen Tasting Group Does Beaver Creek – Day One: This wine is a beautiful and youthful-lookinig ruby red color. The nose offers a compact blend of dark fruit, licorice, and dried flowers. In the mouth this delivers an elegant expression of black fruit. Not quite as silky smooth as I was expecting -- it actually comes across as very structured. A great wine, but not as great as my expectations.
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6/15/2007 - felixman wrote: 99 Points
Most likely will be wine of the year for me. Incredible balance. Fruits are still strong. Tannins are fully integrated. From beginning to finish, the juice melts on your tastebuds. Bouquet has cinnamon and some spice. Words can't even begin to describe this wine.
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12/16/2006 - dr g wrote: 97 Points
Tried one 6 month ago
this one was almost perfect, tasted also a 98 the same day, probably at it's best
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11/8/2006 - wineamateur wrote: 91 Points
Jeroboam Club: Ch. Margaux Vertical (Bordeaux Quay, Bristol): Nice medium-red, evolved colouration. Attractive sweet fruit: plums and blueberries, with a hint of sur-maturity (heady). A bit brown-tinged on the palate, but lovely if a tad tired.
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10/13/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Pre-Harlan Warm-up at Brad England's House: My first Margaux, and what a treat. The nose enticed with an expressive mix of mature black fruit and floral notes. However, the real thrill with this wine is how seductive it is in the mouth. The texture is just so, so silky. The fruit is concentrated but is not heavy. Flavors coat the palate. The finish is long and seemless. This is a very special wine.
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10/13/2006 - Siggy wrote:
Harlan Warm-Up Dinner (Brad's House, Minneapolis): Still youthful. Outstanding palate of red fruits, licorice, and minerals. Excellent stuff.
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10/1/2006 - sdr wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely gorgeous; so soft, so smooth, so elegant. Gentle and beguiling, this could make an instant Bordeaux lover of anyone. There's lots of violets and dark plum in the medium weight package. The finish is clean and fades little by little, but the memory of the experience lingers much longer. This is the kind of wine that can get underappreciated in a series of heavyweight fruit bombs. Surely at its absolute best. Perhaps the 7 hour decant helped.
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7/15/2006 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
This wine combined the floral Margaux notes with velvety, Pomerol textures. Rich, fleshy, opulent and graceful. Still young, this will get better with age.
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6/20/2006 - Eric wrote:
An unreal tasting of Château Palmer and Château Margaux with Thomas Duroux of Palmer (Los Angeles, CA): The nose shows some soy sauce and otherwise is not terribly expressive. The palate however is gorgeous, ready and round. Clearly the most 'ready' and drinkable of the flight. Really nice.
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1/23/2006 - la turque wrote: 97 Points
My last bottle. And what an awesome wine! An enchanting nose of flowers and cedar and undergrowth and red and black fruits. With time the nose turned to jasmine. In the mouth, the wine was supple and silky, with brilliant balance yet precise definition. The fruit was standout and sweet, and the tannins and acids soft and supple; the finish was very long. A gorgeous wine. Drinking at its peak.
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1/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Full deep red. Full nose of roasted (coffee?) red fruit. Bright tight hit-toned red fruit Nice, but not great. 1/06
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11/11/2005 - Wrighty wrote: 97 Points
1980's Chateau Margaux night (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Beautiful delicate floral nose, mint and violet? Long delicate finish. This is drinking perfectly now with a few years left on it.
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8/25/2005 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
This is much better than a bottle from the same source last year, perhaps because I decanted it 4 hours in advance. Remarkably unevolved color, deep ruby with no trace of color loss or orange. Simple, but deep delightful bouquet of pure blackberry with just a hint of oak. "Demure" and "feminine" says K. Ripe and round in the mouth with a perfectly clean finish. Quite different from the powerful '82, brooding '83, backwards '86 and elusive '90. Youthful but no longer young, this elegant beauty should go on for another 15 years and is clearly one of the top 5 wines of the vintage.
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8/10/2005 - Eric wrote: 91 Points
Hmm, this was a classy wine that hinted at greatness but never really opened up and delivered. Initial notes were a little disjoint yet promising with floral notes, lead pencil, cedar, and mineral. This came together well to show a compact, focused yet elegant bouquet. The palate never really delivered though, starting out a bit choppy and astringent and then opening somewhat narrowly into a beautiful yet somewhat middle weight claret that lacked the concentration and depth one would expect of a first growth. This was sort of a Junior Margaux, and I was hoping for a bit more. Oh well, it's still always nice to have a chance at an older bottle like this.
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7/10/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Gary Margol Offline (Bentley Hotel London): Woody Vegetal nose. Very sweet on palate, but something clearly not right, TCA, something. A great shame. Not rated
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5/17/2005 - MRichman wrote:
1985 Bordeaux Horizontal (Bouley, NYC): So rich, smooth, soft. Finesse. Power. Silky. Wonderful.
A/A+
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4/20/2005 - la turque wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, soft, very hedonistic. Rich yet elegant, a beautiful drink. At its peak.
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1/11/2005 - bdenuyl wrote: 93 Points
Very elegant wine that is drinking quite well. Good depth and balance, but falls short of the ’83. Still worth getting more at a good price.
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1/7/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 96 Points
Wine Olympics (Picasso Restaurant, Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada): Nice nose with some green tobacco and ripe fruit. Velvet in the mouth - seamless. Very light/airy palate impression. Near perfect balance. Is this Chateau Margaux? (Group = 89.6)
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3/24/2004 - Joe Belmaati wrote: 95 Points
Red with clear browning at the rim. Scents of bark, and forrest. Medium bodied, sweet and seductive, powerful but with great style and character, all in a cream-caramel taste with resolved tannin, excellent finesse, and a long balanced aftertaste. Brilliant for drinking now.
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1/30/2004 - Rani wrote: 97 Points
Dark garnet. Incredible nose of violets, thyme, cedar and blackcurrant. Silky smooth, surprisingly vigorous with fine tannins and good underlying fruit. Still youthful and will continue to delight its drinkers for another decade at least (though not from this bottle...)
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2/1/2003 - Jason wrote: 90 Points
Nose of smoke, burnished leather (saddle).
Taste of cedar and strawberry
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2/1/2003 - Eric wrote: flawed
This was one of my two bottles for the Quilceda/Margaux standoff. Perfume, violets/ still significant tannin/ some warmth on the finish. This bottle had some seepage around the cork and seemed a bit cooked in general.
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10/4/2002 - R2-D2 wrote: 96 Points
Seductively delightful! From the first whiff of massive quantities of sweet cassis, fruit, and rose petals I knew this was gonna be great. Dark rich berries, touches of oak, multi-layered, and long long lasting finish ... mmmmm! Decanted since the morning really opened it up. One of the best wines I've had this year and wine of the evening.
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12/16/2001 - Henman wrote:
N: barnyard, a little cassis.
P: good structure,smooth,balanced,vanilla,some fruit.
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12/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 89 Points
More backward than last year. Structured and tannic. Still, very fine. Ripe fruit. Somewhat closed.
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9/1/2001 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Christie’s Auction bottle. Delicious wine at its apogee. All sorts of mixed berries. Soft tannins. A middleweight. Slightly orange. Not for long keeping.
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6/1/2000 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderfully big and fruity. Fully mature. Classy and complex. Luscious.
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12/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistently beautiful with rare exceptions. Now almost mature. Intense. Focused fruit. Tremendous breed. Blew away the ‘85 Caymus Special Selection. Great wine.
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9/1/1999 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just lovely. Pure pleasure. Still more to come but the usual ‘85 friendless is there. Deeper than the ‘85 Cheval Blanc but not as big as the ‘85 Léoville-Las-Cases. Wonderful balance and harmony.
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9/1/1998 - sdr Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Tasted as a ringer blind in a flight of ‘85 California Cabernet Sauvignons. Unfortunately very disappointing. Good color but something not right about the nose. Herbaceous and tannic. I hope just a bad bottle
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2/1/1998 - sdr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Andy’s bottle. Easily the best of a flight of ‘85 Bordeaux at Rabelais. Youthful. Exquisite balance. Very enjoyable now although still evolving. Lovely sweet soft black fruit. The price ($250) is now approaching the ‘83 ($285). Is it almost as good?
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3/1/1995 - sdr Likes this wine: 88 Points
Moderately saturated color. Flattering although still tight. Good, not great, fruit. Just starting its secondary development.
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3/22/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 93 Points
1985 Bordeaux vs. Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fantastic, ripe fruit on nose, and in the mouth.
My #3 of 5.
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