1998 Margaux

Owner Corinne Menzelopoulos said of the 1998: 'We came very close to making a great vintage', because the excellent weather was just thrown off course by rain at the beginning of harvest. It might not have the perfection of the 2009 vintage (one of my six 100 point wines given in 2022 tastings), but it's hard to argue with the supple, balanced and effortless pleasure offered by this bottle. Expect white truffle, soy, undergrowth, raspberry leaf, saffron, cassis, turmeric, brambled autumnal fruit and a kick of orange peel giving focus and grip on the finish. 50% of crop in 1st wine. Paul Pontallier technical director, 100% new oak.

Deep crimson. Powerful, direct aroma. Strongly cassis. Fresh and yet mouth-filling and almost creamy/buttery on the palate in terms of texture. Very clean and fresh. Hint of char. Very convincing as a first growth. Long and rich. Direct with masses of fruit disguising the slightly grainy tannins. Tangy and lively… You could drink this with food now! Very good wine.

The 1998 Château Margaux is a vintage that I have not tasted for a decade. Now at 20 years old it has retained a deep garnet colour with very little ageing on the rim, in fact, one of the most youthful-looking 1998 Left Banks that I encountered. The nose is gorgeous: very well defined with black cherries, fresh fig, touches of sous-bois and leather. As I have noted before, what it does not offer is the floral element that is the signature of many other vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It feels more mature on the palate than on the nose with secondary notes of sage, black pepper, irony notes and a touch of bell pepper. I find this just cuts away short with a little greenness in the background. It was probably a great Margaux knocked off balance by the harvest rains, but it remains a fine wine that should continue to drink well for another decade. Tasted at the château.