For two years now, this tasting has been in the works as so many of us wonder what has become of our beloved Chateau Magdelaine. And this past Thursday it finally happened thanks to the generosity of a number of Chateau Magdelaine fans who I will leave to reveal themselves here if they wish. Huge thanks all around to a very generous group of people, plus a splendid home setting with perfect fare for this event. Notes presented in order of tasting, and most wines tasted in pairs.
2014 Chateau Bel-Air Monange
deep purple-red color, heady aromatics with a good bit of oak, sweet plums, intense dark fruits, cloves, on the palate a bit hot for me, good impact and very primary, rather polished in its way- I am not sure the sheer force of the fruit will ever allow this to show the full range of nuance that eventually came with Magdelaine, good length but a bit on the dry side and showing heat as well as raw oak, with time a pure blackberry note emerged along with sharp clove notes.
(***)?, 2030+
2013 Chateau Bel-Air Monange
deep reddish purple color, on the nose the same heavy impact as the 2014 but thinner in breadth and tone, on the palate a curious bready raspberry note, better balanced than the 2014 and with a lighter feel, fruits tending toward the red end of the spectrum, cherries, red clay, hints of bramble with a certain refinement, fine length, good balance, it is better than the 2014 by being more understated and having a lesser share of the distinctly trendy elements that are in a direct contrast with what Magdelaine was all about, in other words- better, but still not inspiring my praise.
(***)+?, 2025+
2012 Chateau Bel-Air Monange
deepish purple red, a heavy nose that is also a bit sharp, blackberries, on the palate that exact same odd bready raspberry note I get on the 2013, the oak is less prominent in volume but more cutting in feel, with time sharp clove notes, no signs of the forest or bramble that is evident even in youth on Magdelaine, good length but already getting quite hard on the back end.
(**)+?, 2028+
2011 Chateau Magdelaine
deep red-purple color, soaring nose of tight cassis and cherry, textured with subtle bursts of bramble and clove, stone notes, on the palate still with some raw edges but the whole package is better integrated than when I had this about 18 months ago, marvelously lively with blueberry, cassis, cherry, rough bramble, with time a wild and piercing note of pure cherry right in the center, violets, fine length and a fine future ahead, tasting this in the context of several other vintages- the exuberance of this vintage is much akin to that of the 2001.
(****)+, 2030+
2010 Chateau Magdelaine
darkest purple red color, brooding and muted nose of dark fruits, intense chalk and clove, on the palate a bit of heat, very primary and showing nothing but a mass of sleek ripe fruit, firm tannins well covered by the fruit core, a very large scaled Magdelaine that will need a great deal of time- and yet it must be noted it has some scary similarities to its younger cousins, oak in proper proportion, fine length and good balance- but time will tell if at maturity it reveals the full degree of subtle detail that is the mark of a great Magdelaine.
(****)?, 2035+
2009 Chateau Magdelaine
bright deep red color, a very ripe nose, cherries, aggressive array of red spectrum fruits, kirsch, on the palate a hint of warmth throughout at first where the 2010 has a small streak of it, ripe and sleek fruit, cherry liqueur, hints of bramble and violets, fine long finish, with time the wine came together nicely and the notes of warmth were largely absorbed into the overall structure, this will be a very ripe vintage for Magdelaine but the presence of floral and forest notes suggest there is not the same risk as with the 2010 of ideal long term development.
(****), 2030+
2008 Chateau Bel-Air Monange
medium purple red color just starting to brick, oak-influenced nose, a bit raw and overpowering of the attractive dark fruits, on the palate a punchy and cuddly cherry and cassis fruit core that remains primary and comes off a bit dull compared to the Magdelaines surrounding it in this tasting, oak a bit intrusive on the palate plus there is a slight iodine quality around the edges, overall this is disjointed and going out of balance- yet frustratingly showing to some degree how lovely it could been if made with a less heavy hand.
**+, ready to drink but should hold
2008 Chateau Magdelaine
I have now had this time 4 times since its release, and to at last try it alongside a number of its siblings spanning 3 decades I am firmly convinced that this is not only the last great vintage for Chateau Magdelaine but will prove in time to be among the finest of its generation.
deepish purple red color, magnificently meaty and lively nose, cherries, cassis, on the palate as generous a showing as I have ever seen though the wine remains very primary and undeveloped, a great breadth of primary fruit richly layered with bramble and white stones expressed with breathtaking precision, a long and intense finish of dark fruits woven into a delicate lace of bracing acids, deceptively approachable for its generous fruit and display of character- but there is a great deal yet to come and this will need a good bit of time to get there.
(*****), 2032++
2007 Chateau Magdelaine
medium bright red color, lovely nose of fruits from the black and red sides of the spectrum, forest floor notes already showing, bramble, on the palate a light to mid-weight fruit with a generous sweet side, already showing beautifully but it has the potential to develop further into a lacey and beautiful luncheon wine, lovely fragrant finish, a more vibrant version of the 1992.
(), 2025+
2006 Chateau Magdelaine
good deepish red young color, like the 2008- this is another vintage I have had several times since release, this bottle had a little funk on the nose but also tight notes of cherry and bramble, on the palate this seems to still be growing in scale- it was a mid-weight at release but now is becoming a rather powerful vintage, dark plums, it was starting to get secondary at last tasting and continues to do so- but also seems more closed than I remember, bright red cherry notes with time, excellent length, more impressive with each visit and at this point I would put it ahead of both the 2009 and 2010 for future potential.
(****)+, 2030+
2001 Chateau Magdelaine
good deepish red-purple color, vibrant red cherries on the nose with a steady hum of perky herbal notes, more in the red end of the fruit spectrum and with softer chalk notes than usual, on the palate maturing and- as on the nose- uncommonly lively and even zesty, cherries, good long finish that gets a bit rough- but not quite hard- on the tail end, that may ameliorate to some extent with time but I expect it will always be there in some measure, this will need a good bit of time to fully develop yet is already approachable for its vibrant personality.
**(), now to 2035+
1998 Chateau Magdelaine
deep purple red color, monolithic and massive nose, totally primary and of grand scale by Magdelaine standards, intense cloves, on the palate this is deceptively approachable like the 2008, cassis, blueberries, light pepper notes, positively electric despite being so closed- the tension is remarkable, superb length that is generous and full throughout the lengthy fragrant aftertaste, a long way to go and in the same class as the 2008 though this will likely be on a grander scale.
(*****), 2030++
1994 Chateau Magdelaine [from a case recently released by Moueix and direct from chateau stocks]
deepish purple color, menthol and bramble on the nose, dark fruits in the background, some hard forest notes on the palate which has a certain hardness that is not as unpleasant as it is on many 94s but is rather more like 84 in being a pure force of structure without such a presence of harsh tannins or acids, large scale structure with light fruit, lot of forest and bramble with time, as with the 84 vintage at the higher end- I think this is a wine to bury in the cellar for a very long time to allow some settling and fading of the structure at which point the fruit and other elements will have become nicely savory in their tertiary stage, no guarantees there- but this is the best balanced 94 I have had and as with wines like 84 Mouton and the 94 DRCs I think it will be most useful with extensive age- served with a strong cheese course or as an after-dinner drink.
**, 2034+
1992 Chateau Magdelaine
medium red color with some bricking, slightly medicinal nose, playful cherries on the palate, a classy light to mid-weight luncheon wine, pretty, light on its feet and well balanced with tertiary underbrush, lively chalk notes, lovely wine and ready to drink- but time in hand.
***, now to 2030
1990 Chateau Belair (Dubois-Challon)
good red and brick maturing color, on the nose plums and dark berries, on the nose and throughout out the palate also a slight hard green note- there was considerable disagreement at the table over the cause of this, many of us- myself included- felt it derived from the oak treatment, it certainly did not ruin or overpower the wine- but was an unusual presence in an otherwise very pleasant mature wine, dark plums and black raspberries, soft oak notes, sweet fruit, good finish though with low acid levels, attractive if not particularly persistent.
***+, now to 2030
1990 Chateau Magdelaine
drinkable but slightly maderised and muted. Not evaluated.
1985 Chateau Magdelaine
medium red color with moderate bricking, violets and stone on the lush and serene nose, red berries, cassis, on the palate spectacular, pure dark berries and cassis, violets and even a suggestion of rose petals- the most floral wine of the night, glowing red fruits deftly dancing with notes of bramble and underbrush, a perfectly balanced and integrated wine with a forest floor coated structure carrying it through to a marvelous finish, at once youthfully beaming and delicately aged, a magnificent claret, as good as it gets.
*****, ready to drink and time in hand, as with 85 Mouton I think this will go on for decades
1975 Chateau Magdelaine
good deepish red color with some bricking, plummy on the nose, very slightly hard- but less so than most 75s I have tried, some sauvage, on the palate quite good and surprisingly youthful in tone despite the full tertiary development of its elements, large scale, fresh, blackberry notes, a broad and ripe pure finish of excellent length, some of the rough and tumble of the vintage sprinkled throughout, but refined in the end and comfortingly vibrant. A great and relatively understated 1975.
*****, now to 2040
1970 Chateau Magdelaine (first bottle corked, this second bottle decanted and served about 15 minutes after)
bricking red color, very assertive bramble and dark thorn on the nose, on the palate fully mature with some metallic and liniment notes, cherry and cassis fruit dominate with an unusual freshness for a 1970 followed by broad and lush layers of forest floor and sedate tertiary underbrush notes, pristine balance, fine length, a very pretty 1970 with time in hand.
*****, now to 2030
1971 Chateau Figeac
good bright red color with some bricking, gorgeous nose of blue mint, dark berry, soft sweet marble, lily pads and petrichor, with time a metallic note developed, in contrast with the Magdelaines tasted this evening- this had a more velvety presentation throughout, blueberry notes with time and where the Magdelaines showed lovely forest and bramble notes- this wine became intensely spicy, a marvelous 1971 on a long and glorious plateau, wonderfully serene despite its numerous delights.
*****, now to 2030+