Margaux - Red Wine - VINTAGES - 2009 Bordeaux Futures

Margaux - Red Wine

ALTER EGO
2nd Wine of Ch. Palmer

197608 (XD) 750 mL

$85 per btl $255 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 89-92 DEC: **** WS: 88-91 JR: 16.5 WE: 91-93 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Very ripe fruit aromas. The palate is almost velvet in texture, smooth and rich, fruits packed with black berries and sweet plums. A charming, delicious wine. Score: 91-93 (Roger Voss, WE)

ANGLUDET

189027 (XD) 750 mL

$40 per btl $120 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-91 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17 WE: 89-91 GD: 16.5

TASTING NOTE: Licorice, blackberry and lightly toasted oak. Full-bodied, with velvety and polished tannins that follow through to a refined and delicious finish. So pretty already. Score: 90-93 (WS)

BRANE-CANTENAC
2^e Cru

201103 (XD) 750 mL

$105 per btl $315 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 93-95 DEC: **** WS: 89-92 JR: 16 WE: 93-95 GD: 16 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Only 37% of the production made it in to the 2009 Brane Cantenac (slightly lower than most properties because the fruit was so good). This is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc, with a pH of 3.87 and finished alcohol of 13.2%. It is another offering that reveals no evidence of wood even though 70% new oak barrels were utilized. A dense plum/purple color is followed by a lovely perfume of flowers, boysenberries, black cherries, and black currants. Seamless in the mouth with stunning concentration, a seductive style, an exquisite Margaux delicacy, and levels of richness and intensity I have never before seen in Brane Cantenac, it should drink effortlessly for 30+ years. Drink: 2010-2040. (Tasted four times.) Score: 93-95 (RP)

CANTENAC-BROWN
3^e Cru

198598 (XD) 750 mL

$89 per btl $267 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96* DEC: **** JR: 16 WE: 91-93 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: The greatest Cantenac Brown I have ever tasted, this monumental effort possesses enormous concentration, with loads of black and blue fruits intermixed with damp earth and forest floor. I have never seen a Cantenac Brown so seamless, so powerful, yet at the same time, so elegant and densely complex. They have certainly done something here that has not been accomplished over the last three decades I have been tasting this estate’s wines. Opaque purple in color and full-bodied, this big-time sleeper of the vintage merits serious attention for the first time in my professional career. Kudos to the new ownership and team at Cantenac Brown. This wine should evolve over a 30-year period. (Tasted two times.) Drink: 2010-2040. Score: 94-96* (RP)

CHEVALIER DE LASCOMBES
2nd Wine of Ch. Lascombes

195958 (XD) 750 mL

$39 per btl $117 per 3-btl. lot

DAUZAC
5^e Cru

193979 (XD) 750 mL

$59 per btl $177 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 88-90 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 16.5 WE: 92-94 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: With considerable new wood, this is a complex wine. The wood marches in step with the fresh blackcurrant and ripe fruit flavors to give a wine that is juicy as much as structured. Score: 92-94 (WE)

D'ISSAN
3^e Cru

201434 (XD) 750 mL

$95 per btl $285 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 93-95 DEC: **** WS: 88-91 JR: 17 WE: 89-91 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: Following the lustrous 2000 and 2005, the 2009 is another terrific effort from proprietor Emmanuel Cruse. Tiny yields of 18 hectoliters per hectare, 13.7% natural alcohol, and a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot have resulted in a wine boasting stunning minerality along with notes of flowers, blueberries, and black currants. Full-bodied with silky tannin, a tremendous opulence, and levels of density and richness never before seen at this estate, this brilliant d’Issan should age for three decades or more. Drink: 2010-2040. (Tasted two times.) Score: 93-95 (RP)

DU TERTRE
5^e Cru

194639 (XD) 750 mL

$57 per btl $171 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92 DEC: **** JR: 17.5 WE: 92-94 GD: 17.5 TJW: 9.2+

TASTING NOTE: Well balanced wine, the spiced wood integrating well with the rich plum and berry juice fruits. Firm, but generous. Score: 92-94 (WE)

FERRIÈRE

195990 (XD) 750 mL

$52 per btl $156 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 90-93 JR: 16.5 WE: 91-93 GD: 16 TJW: 9.1

TASTING NOTE: Big, ripe and juicy, spiced and fleshy. There is certainly concentration here, but also considerable spicy juiciness. Score: 91-93 (WE)

GISCOURS
3^e Cru

197319 (XD) 750 mL

$89 per btl $267 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93* DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 16.5 WE: 94-96 GD: 15.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Full of blackcurrant fruits, ripe and sweet tannins and forward fruit. The wine feels polished, ripe, smooth. Score: 94-96 (WE)

KIRWAN
3^e Cru

201533 (XD) 750 mL

$85 per btl $255 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 90-92+ DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 16 WE: 93-95 GD: 16

TASTING NOTE: Wow. A subtle yet fabulous burst of fruit on the nose, with currant, mineral and flowers. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fruity, beautiful finish. So pretty. Chewy. Big Kirwan. Score: 92-95 (WS)

LASCOMBES
2^e Cru

201046 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96+ DEC: **** WS: 92-95 JR: 16.5 WE: 93-95 GD: 16 TJW: 9.4

TASTING NOTE: Midnight oil? Dense black purple to the rim, the 2009 Lascombes has enormous concentration, with loads of graphite, blackberry, and blueberry notes as well as hints of pen ink and truffle. The wine is super-intense, full-bodied, fleshy, and rich. This is another wine that will compete with the 2005, which is certainly the best Lascombes I have ever tasted. (Tasted three times.) Score: 94-96+ (RP)

MALESCOT ST-EXUPÉRY
3^e Cru

201509 (XD) 750 mL

$135 per btl $405 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 95-97 DEC: **** WS: 97-100 JR: 17.5 GD: 17.5 TJW: 9.7

TASTING NOTE: This is absolutely fabulous. I love the complex aromas of ripe fruit and fresh flowers that turn to mineral and raspberry, along with tannins on the finish. This changes all the time. Full-bodied and dense, but so beautiful and long. The layers of ultrafine tannins just turn off the tip of your tongue. Score: 97-100 (WS)

MARGAUX
1^er Cru

201921 (XD) 750 mL

$1,275 per btl $3,825 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 98-100 DEC: ***** WS: 96-99 JR: 19+ GD: 19 TJW: 9.8+

TASTING NOTE: Thirty-five percent of the crop went into the 2009 Chateau Margaux, composed of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The alcohol level of 13.3% is high, but not excessively so. A wine such as this is like the quintessence of terroir. A super, uber-concentrated perfume of creme de cassis and flowers cascades across the palate with a lightness of being despite massive concentration, a sumptuous personality, and an unctuous texture. I have never tasted a Chateau Margaux quite like this. It should be relatively drinkable at an early age, yet will last for 50-100 years. Oh my! Drink 2010-2110. (Tasted once) Score: 98-100 (RP)

PALMER
3^e Cru

201939 (XD) 750 mL

$495 per btl $1,485 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 94-96 DEC: ***** WS: 95-98 JR: 18 WE: 98-100 TJW: 9.7+

TASTING NOTE: Sumptuous, opulent, with gorgeous ripe fruit, and yet under 14 percent alcohol. The firm tannins are almost smothered by the delicious fruits. It is a great wine that expresses both the natural exuberance of Palmer and the rich fruit and balancing freshness of the vintage. Score: 98-100 (WE)

PAVILLON ROUGE
2nd Wine of Ch. Margaux

201830 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93 DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17 WE: 92-94 GD: 18 TJW: 9.5

TASTING NOTE: The dark ruby/purple-hued 2009 Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux offers a big, sweet kiss of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries and blackberries, a silky texture, and a dense, concentrated, but seamless mouthfeel. This glorious wine should drink well for 20 or more years. Drink 2010-2030. (Tasted once.) Score: 91-93 (RP)

PRIEURÉ-LICHINE
4^e Cru

199414 (XD) 750 mL

$75 per btl $225 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 91-93 DEC: **** WS: 94-97 JR: 16.5 WE: 92-94 GD: 16.5 TJW: 9.3

TASTING NOTE: Complex aromas of mineral, blueberry and currant follow through to a full body, with superfine tannins and a long, long finish. This is exceptional. Best of all time. Score: 94-97 (WS)

RAUZAN-GASSIES
2^e Cru

197699 (XD) 750 mL

$65 per btl $195 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 89-91 DEC: *** WS: 87-90 JR: 16 WE: 90-92 GD: 17 TJW: 9.2+

TASTING NOTE: A masculine-styled, dense purple-colored 2009, this cuvee offers up scents of charcoal, asphalt, black currants, incense, and crushed rocks. This deep, medium to full-bodied, well-made Margaux is broader, richer, and more substantial than usual, with more alcohol as well as substance. The tannins are ripe and well-integrated. This is a 30-year wine. (Tasted two times.) Drink: 2010-2040. Score: 89-91 (RP)

RAUZAN-SÉGLA
2^e Cru

200725 (XD) 750 mL

$145 per btl $435 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 92-95 DEC: ***** WS: 93-96 JR: 17.5 WE: 94-96 GD: 17.5 TJW: 9.5+

TASTING NOTE: Shows a lovely concentration of currant and blackberry. Hints of vanilla follow through to a full body, with layers of ripe fruit and fine, fruit-coated tannins. I love the ripe and pretty fruit to this. Very fruit-forward. The château cut back on the new wood, and went for a fruitier style. I like that. Score: 93-96 (WS)

SIRAN

194571 (XD) 750 mL

$44 per btl $132 per 3-btl. lot

RP: 87-88+ DEC: **** WS: 90-93 JR: 17 WE: 88-90 TJW: 9.2+

TASTING NOTE: Blueberry and licorice aromas follow through to a full body, with supersilky tannins and a long, flavorful finish. All there. Score: 90-93 (WS)

Margaux - White Wine

PAVILLON BLANC

202341 (XD) 750 mL

$199 per btl $597 per 3-btl. lot

WS: 95-98 JR: 17 WE: 92-94 GD: 17.5 TJW: 95

TASTING NOTE: Shows impressive aromas of lemon rind and papaya, with hints of cream. Full and very layered, with the density of a red wine. Long and flavorful, offering a pretty balance of ripe fruit and acidity like a grand cru Burgundy. The château says that they have pulled back the alcohol and given the wine a little more freshness and length. It worked. Score: 95-98 (WS)

Margaux - Red Wine

Margaux - White Wine

Scores: