2009 Chateau Malescot St. Exupery Margaux

After spending a week on Bordeaux’s Left and Right Banks last year, tasting 127 barrel samples from the 2014 vintage, there was quite a bit of talk about the sudden spike in price of the 2009s. Drawn from a warm, dry, near perfect growing season that Parker compared to the monumental 1899, 1929, 1949, and 1959 vintages, the vintage’s superstars turned out luscious, sleekly contoured Bordeaux blends that marry Napa-like concentration with textbook Left Bank backbone. All are drinking beautifully now and, as Parker and Wine Spectator contend, the top wines of the vintage will age gracefully for the next 25 years.

Wine Spectator rated the monumental 2009 campaign 96-99 points, the highest vintage rating in the publication’s history. First Growths Château Latour (97-100 points/now $2,900 bottle!), Haut-Brion (97-100/$1,500), Lafite-Rothschild (98/$2,000), and Mouton-Rothschild (98/$1,400) crafted some of their greatest wines of the modern era.

But as to the Spectator’s drop-dead bargain of 2009 — the ONLY under-$300 bottle to merit a 100-point mention — it’s no contest. Outpointing neighboring Château Margaux (97 points/$1,800) and Château Palmer was the 2009 Château Malescot St. Exupéry, matching Château Latour at 97-100!

The 2009 Malescot St. Exupéry is opaque purple. Plush and voluminous aromatically, featuring a suave mix of black raspberry, black currant preserves, and Asian spice. Massively concentrated, silken in texture, this is a 2009 of exquisite purity and density, finishing with tremendous persistence and energy. 

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.00%
• 1.5 hours
• Now – 2040
• % Bordeaux Blend
• Serving temperature – 62°