Chateau Malescot St. Exupery 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux 2018

A structured and muscular Malescot with blackberry and blackcurrant aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Big wine for this producer.

The 2018 Malescot Saint Exupéry is every bit as compelling as it was from barrel. Powerful and incisive, the 2018 is a driving, potent Margaux that dazzles from the first taste. Iron, smoke, new leather, licorice, pressed rose petal and cedar all open in the glass, conveying tremendous nuance and a ton of character.

Tasted twice and showing incredibly well both times, the 2018 Château Malescot Saint-Exupery comes from a 28-hectare vineyard in the heart of Margaux and is a rough blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This full-bodied Margaux has everything you could want from this appellation, offering incredibly complex notes of cassis, tobacco, earth, and spice, full body, sweet tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It’s an incredibly sexy, flawlessly balanced beauty that’s going to be relatively approachable in its youth yet age effortlessly on its balance and purity.

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Malescot St. Exupery comes prancing out of the glass with flamboyant raspberry coulis, kirsch and redcurrant jelly scents over a fresh blackcurrant and boysenberry core with wafts of red roses, cinnamon stick and forest floor. Full-bodied, rich and opulent in the mouth, the palate delivers stacks of red fruit, cassis and floral layers with a firm, finely grained frame and plenty of freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Just lovely.

The 2018 Malescot St. Exupery has a very attractive bouquet of detailed scents of red currant, wild strawberry, wilted rose petals and crushed stone, all gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins matched with a fine bead of acidity. It feels a little more compact than its Margaux peers and exerts an insistent grip on the finish. But I admire its focus and precision. A Margaux that should age with style over the next 20–30 years.

Malescot is always a relatively modern style, and it stays true to form in 2018. It's an enjoyable, high energy wine but it doesn't quite reach the heights of its 2016. It's a rich damson colour, with plump fruit on the attack. The oak impact is a little forced, and this is clearly aiming for vibrancy and character. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend.