CHÂTEAU MALESCOT SAINT EXUPÉRY

2017 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

This has a really open nose of blackberry and dark cherry fruit with some quite sweet vanilla oak. There's attractive weight to a palate billowing with rich, dark fruit. It's a fairly hedonistic Margaux, especially considering the vintage. Quite a big frame too but the tannins are fine and there's more than enough fruit to fill it out. Perhaps it's not the freshest or most subtle interpretation from 2017 but this is a Margaux that will definitely appeal for all its easy, upfront charm. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 90-92 L&S (May 2018)

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The 2017 Malescot Saint Exupéry has really come together nicely over the course of its élevage. In this vintage, Malescot is a bit more fruity and less structured than it has been. Cedar, licorice, dried herbs, menthol and scorched earth notes give the 2017 a distinctly savory feel to match its somber, virile personality. The 2017 is a wine that keeps getting better each time I taste it, and that makes me very hopeful for the future; it will be interesting to see what happens here with aging, and, specifically, if a bit more structure emerges. This is a wine of great personality and character. Drinking range: 2025 - 2042 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)

The 2017 Malescot St. Exupéry was cropped at 38hl/ha and aged in 70% new oak for 13 to 15 months. This has a lovely plushness and purity on the nose with copious dark cherries, blueberry and violet aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, a subtle marine influence here with a precise and persistent finish. This is one of the best Margaux wines in 2017 and comes highly recommended. You know, this might improve further with bottle age. Drinking range: 2023 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2020)

Dark greyish crimson. Smoky cassis nose. Pretty dilute on the mid palate. Fresh enough but really lacks a core to hold for the long term. Drinking range: 2022 - 2027 Rating: 15 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)

A fantastic 2017 from Margaux with a deep and ripe core of fruit in the center palate. Silky and juicy tannins. Full body, plenty of fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)

A breezy and fresh style, with pretty damson plum and cherry fruit lined with high-pitched floral and savory notes. Elegant mineral details run through the silky finish. Pure and graceful, showing sneaky length. Rating: 90-93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)

Margaux Troisième Cru Classé 1855
Simon Malescot laid the foundations for this estate when he purchased the land in 1697. In 1827 it was sold to Count Jean-Baptiste Saint-Exupéry, who appended his name to that of the château and added vineyard land from his family holdings. His extravagent life-style, however, led his widow to sell Château Malescot Saint Exupéry in 1853 to a banker called Fourcade who added the now defunct Château Dubignon to Malescot Saint Exupéry. In 1885 the present château was built. A sale of the estate in 1901 saw Château Dubignon split off again (selling for most of the next fifty years as Château Dubignon-Talbot), only to be re-incorporated into Malescot Saint Exupéry by Paul Zuger who bought the estate (together with Marquis d'Alesme Becker) in 1955. At the time, Malescot Saint Exupéry had just 7ha of vines and a reputation that had hit rock bottom. The Zuckers, now represented by the third generation Jean-Luc, have rejuvenated Malescot Saint Exupéry and it now has a reputation for good quality and good value.

Château Malescot Saint Exupéry can claim the great Château Margaux as its neighbour and lies, therefore, in the very heart of the appellation. The vineyards are planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spend 14 to 16 months in oak, with up to 80% of the barrels being new wood.