Is my palate going? I’m usually a Burgundy drinker, but I found a lot to like in this bottle. That is to say, a good chance that it’s a wine I’ll really like once it sheds most of its tannins and slims down its fruit profile.
2004 Château Malescot St. Exupery- France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (8/20/2009)
Still opaque in the center, with a bit of garnet on the rim. The nose is very fragrant right out of the bottle, but quickly settles into dark fruit and oak. But with some time in the decanter the oak notes become less prominent and some floral and tobacco scents emerge. Medium to full bodied in the mouth with serious youthful fruit concentration, but it’s still classically proportioned as it moves effortlessly across the mid palate before substantial but very refined tannins kick in. The finish is very long and shows a well balanced interplay of components, even a bit of acidic tang making an appearance. I’m not usually much of a Bordeaux fan, but there’s no disputing that this is very good wine. In need of a lot of time for my palate, but I look forward to the next bottle excitedly.
Thanks for the note. I have been super curious about this wine for a while and now maybe I’ll finally buy a couple considering the much nicer price on them compared to the 05.
I bought a 6 pack of 05s from Costco and sold 4 of them last summer, covering the cost of the remaining two…
Just the inevitable maturation process that leads every decent palate – even some burg drinkers – to bordeaux eventually.
Just kidding of course; I hate the inevitable statements to that effect one sees from burgophiles. This is a nice wine. The quality at Malescot has skyrocketed since ~2000. Not as much as the price, and I won’t be buying recent vintages until they come down – a lot – but the wine is very fine indeed. Glad you liked it.
I own tons of Burgs, and lots of Malescot as well. You aren’t alone.
This winery had new ownership take over in 1998, and they haven’t looked back. The 2001 is a super sleeper as well. It’s a shame what happened to the price of the 2005 though. Kind of like Clos St. Jean, great wines, certainly worth good scores, but not the after market price tag.
OK, now I am going to pick some up. I’ve done the old “in the cart, but never complete the transaction” with this wine several times now, but that stops now.
Neal,
Agreed, the “inevitable” comments are silly. I do think it’s the case, however, that it’s easy to get swept into the Burg vortex once you start getting into them. So many producers to explore, so many vineyards to geek out about, etc.
Ian,
Yes, prices have gotten ridiculous. I think I paid less than $30 for my bottles of this. Really a hell of a wine for that price. At 3x-5x, mmm, not so much.
Rob and Paul,
Hope you guys enjoy the wine if you do end up with some. Post notes, I’d love to see your impressions.