90-94 / 100
Noncontractual photograph
In Bordeaux, although the year was cold, yields were good and the quality of the 1979 wines was there. Château Margaux 1979 is an elegant wine, already mature.
Vintage | Wine 1979 |
Classification | Médoc - 1er Cru Classé |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Margaux |
Colour | Red |
Volume | 0.75 l |
Country | France |
Château | Château Margaux |
Country | France |
A privilege to bear the name of its appellation Margaux, for Château Margaux there is no doubt ample justification.
For several centuries this Premier Cru Classé has expressed the highest degree of quality of exceptional terroir patiently assembled by several generations of owners. Maintained and harvested exclusively by hand with extreme care, the 78 hectares of vines (75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) derive their wealth deep in the soil which is clayey gravelly and particularly dense and thick. The fermentation in oak vats, after which the wine is strictly selected, follows 18 to 24 months in new oak barrels. A masterpiece among Bordeaux, the best according to some, Château Margaux reveals the delicate taste and opulence, depth and complexity, and exudes a rare elegance of rose, violet, black fruit, suspended by tight tannins that require patient aging before the wine fully expresses itself. The château also produces a second wine, Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux, and a dry white wine, Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux.
Best vintages of Château Margaux are : 1900, 1928, 1953, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990
>> Read our article "Grands Crus Classés from Bordeaux"
>> Discover all the crus classés of Médoc classification
Pommard Epenots
Margaux
CHÂTEAU DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU 1979
Saint Julien
Pauillac
CHÂTEAU LARRIVET HAUT BRION 1979
Pessac Leognan
CHÂTEAU LEOVILLE LAS CASES 1979
Saint Julien
PIPER HEIDSIECK Brut Millésime 1979
Champagne
CHÂTEAU MALARTIC LAGRAVIERE 1979
Pessac Leognan
Pomerol
Saint Emilion
(11-2010)
(Ed 1998) This wine is just now reaching full maturity, much later than I initially expected. It is a classy, elegant example of Margauxpossessing a dark rubypurple color, and a moderately intense nose of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with minerals, vanillin, and floral scents. The wine is medium-bodied, with beautifully sweet fruit. This linear, more compressed style of Margaux possesses a good inner-core of sweet fruit, and a charming, harmonious personality. Although not a blockbuster, it is aging effortlessly, and appears to take on more character with each passing year.