The commune of Margaux produces wines that tend to exude charm more than power. If you are looking for top class Bordeaux which is elegant and stylish then Margaux is the place for you. There are plenty of classed growth Chateaux in Margaux but it is usually the top three who dominate our tastings and this was the case in the 2009 yet again. Some people might wonder if we really do taste blind but I promise that we do! Three wines scored well above the other 20 that we tasted and guess what they were? – yes Chateaux Margaux, Palmer and Rauzan Ségla.
Another flight of 12
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I will talk about Chateau Margaux itself with the other First Growths so, leaving it out of the results of its own commune, the group’s top 5 wines were:
My own top five were as follows:
Alter Ego de Palmer – roasted figs and black olives here. Quite low acidity and relatively forward. Nicely spicy and a round, smooth texture. Polished and attractive. 16 points
Lascombes – very plush and creamy. Smooth and supple. Milk chocolate. Soft, charming and silky. 16 points
Brane Cantenac – impressive richness and density here with good depth of ripe fruit. All enveloped in a cashmere cloak of vanilla oak and cream. Fine and very much Margaux. 16.5 points
Rauzan Segla – An impressive deep colour. The nose is a little closed but on the palate this opens up like a peacock’s tail. Hints of smoky bacon and a full body with ripe plum flavours. Great complexity and class. A definite step-up. 17.5 points
Palmer – This is deep and serious. Tarry black fruit on the palate. Intense and concentrated yet not forced. Smooth, long and harmonious. Tannins in balance with the fruit. Milk chocolate with a touch of coconut cream. A class act. 18 points
The Saint Juliens prepare to do battle with the Pauillacs
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The Saint Juliens were really outstanding . This was not only a flight with some really great wines in it, it was also a very consistent flight with all wines scoring very well. If you buy a Saint Julien in 2009 you really can’t go wrong. The weakest wine of the flight was Talbot – which is already showing signs of maturity – but it would be delicious if you opened it tonight. The best wines of the commune are, of course, many years away from being ready to drink. The group’s top 5 were extremely tightly bunched together and I’m sure if you tasted them again today any one of these could come out on top. They are all excellent:
The obvious advice here is to load up with Langoa Barton! At around £400 per dozen this is a real bargain.
Léoville Barton 2009. A black beauty
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My own personal top five are identical to those of the group (but in a different order) and there was very little to choose between them in terms of score. Branaire was very serious too and I would say that Gruaud Larose have made their best wine since the 1986.
Léoville Barton – Big black colour. Roasted bbq meat on the palate. Solid, powerful, masses of dark cassis fruit. Strong tannins and clearly a long-distance classic. Serious but needs 10 years in the cellar. 17 points
Léoville Lascases – Deep, solid, serious and tough. Very unyielding now but there is a strong sense of class and power here. Closed but I’m sure this will be great in a decade or two. 17 points
Langoa Barton – Dark black colour, intense nose of super-ripe cassis fruit. Black olives, black truffles, black everything. Quite a monster. Inky, classically structured. Great. (OK, I’m slightly embarrassed to have rated it half a point above its big brother and Lascases but it really was good!) 17.5 points
Léoville Poyferré – Jet black colour. Powerful nose. Enormous weight and density here. Bold, jam-packed and intense yet there is a voluptuous quality too. Incredible depth yet a show-stopper too. Dense but decadent. Hugely impressive. 17.5 points.
Ducru Beaucaillou – Just edges it for me in this impressive flight. Another black colour. Chewy black fruit. Plump and succulent but then the tannins kick in. A real power-house that has everything going for it. Huge density of black fruit, strapping tannins, great grip. A future classic and a wine of First Growth quality. 18 points.
