MAGDELAINE VERTICAL - (20/6/2025)
Organised a Magdelaine vertical as it has been four years since the last one, and I wanted to share these with those who were less familiar - glad that they agreed that Magdelaine has a perfume that is rarely seen in Bordeaux. My hot takes were (i) Magdelaine really excelled in weaker vintages as the perfume was much more evident, (ii) there was a turning point post-'05 as the wines became slicker and darker-fruited. My personal top 3 were '98, '83 and '01 - but the biggest takeaway was that there are really few substitutes for such a restrained, classic Bordeaux that possessed such character (I came up with those that I liked such as the Cordier stable, with Cantemerle being an exceptional value).
Magdelaines
- 1981 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
By far the worst cork that was soaked through, only one that was sourced from HK. Beautiful, expressive nose with a lift that was on its last breath; palate was fully resolved with tertiary, slightly plummy notes. (91 pts.) - 1983 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Started off slightly tannic but this was absolutely singing after a couple of hours. Silky, refined dark red fruit, absolutely purring and in the zone. By far the most sensual wine of the night with a fine acidic backbone. Second favourite after the '98 for me. (94 pts.) - 1988 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Others liked this a lot but I thought this was dominated by pyrazines notes - was the only bottle that showed overt greenness. Excellent structure nonetheless, I think the classic Bordeaux nature appealed to the others. Similar to my last impression, a little lean for my liking. (91 pts.) - 1989 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
More similar to my '21 bottle, thought this was all structure and tannins which have outlasted the fruit. '89 and '90 unfortunately have been misses in my experience. (89 pts.) - 1999 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Much better than my last bottle which was rather dilute. Very hedonistic for a supposedly weak vintage; simple, sweet dark red fruit that was very pleasurable without being complex. (92 pts.) - 2001 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
A really goldilocks wine that straddled the structure of the warmer vintages and the perfume of cooler vintages well. Silky and balanced, but just missed the fifth gear of the '83 and '98. Still has much potential to improve though. My third favourite of the night. (93 pts.) - 2006 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Quite modern and dark-fruited, a little short on the finish compared to the '08. Less red-fruited than the other surrounding cool vintages. (90 pts.) - 2008 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Similar to previous impressions, this was a slick, modern interpretation of Magdelaine but with sufficient structure and complexity to pull it off. Gained restraint and complexity with air. (92 pts.) - 1998 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
This stood out immediately with the complex, beautiful nose that surpassed my expectations of a Magdelaine nose. Layers of cassis, slightly plummy dark fruit without ever being modern; an iron fist in a velvet glove sort of wine. Showy for a Magdelaine, but understated compared to most Bordeaux. Outstanding balance and length. (95 pts.) - 2000 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
A sturdier rendition of Magdelaine with structured dark fruit whilst remaining understated. I am not confident that the fruit will outlast the structure here so this was at peak for me. Similar to previous impressions that this was powerful without excess. (93 pts.) - 2005 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
Clearly a bigger, more powerful vintage but I agreed with a friend that this was surprisingly well-behaved without being excessively tannic. Did have the most liquorice and minty notes though, with chocolatey dark fruit. (91 pts.) - 2009 Château Magdelaine - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Ămilion Grand Cru
I feared for the worst for this vintage since many have said that this was an atypical Magdelaine, but it turned out better than expected. It did have low acidity and some plummy fruit, but still had the freshness of a classic Magdelaine. Obviously the softest wine of the lot but it did have more red fruit than the '05. (91 pts.)
The rest
- 2004 Pierre PĂŠters Champagne Grand Cru CuvĂŠe Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Didnât like this at first because it was too sweet and oxidative with honey notes, but luckily I got to retaste this from a friend that didnât finish her glass. Much more expressive with air with rich apple fruit, despite lacking the restraint that I would have expected from '04. Apparently the dosage machine didnât function properly in this vintage⌠(92 pts.) - 2020 Château Cheval Blanc Le Petit Cheval Bordeaux Blanc - France, Bordeaux
Very Sauvignon Blanc, green and tropical. Didnât understand. (87 pts.) - 1978 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, MĂŠdoc, St. Julien
A lot of Cordier funk on the nose but palate had superb elegance despite showing tertiary notes (I guessed '60s). Better with air as it became fresher. Acidity really shone through here. (93 pts.)
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