Chateau Malescot St. Exupery 2016 750ml

A stunning red with currants, blackberries, roses and violets. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and polish and finesse to the powerful tannins. A real stunner. Better than 2015. Take a serious look at it, beginning 2024.

The ruby/plum-colored 2016 Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry comes from vines in the heart of the Margaux appellation and is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It’s a total rock star of wine and has fabulous notes of crème de cassis, barbecue smoke, graphite, and sandalwood that build beautifully with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, layered, and seamless, it’s incredibly impressive and I’d wager up with the finest vintages ever from this estate. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 20-25. Bravo!

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Malescot St. Exupery sings of cassis, fragrant earth, tobacco and lilacs with a compelling waft of mocha. Medium to full-bodied and strutting loads of expressive fruit layers at this youthful stage, it's framed by ripe, grainy tannins and oodles freshness, finishing with great length and depth.

This has forward oak edging and attractively smoky fireside notes of ash and grilled sarments. The tannins are monolithic at this stage, and there's a lot to be impressed about in this wine, although it has closed down pretty severely, emphasising austerity rather than seduction. There's no question that all the elements for ageing are present and correct - it's a confident expression of the vintage and one with huge potential. Matured in 70% new oak. From a high yield of 51hl/ha.