Winemaker Notes
Blend: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive aromas of dried roses, red currants and raspberries with a hint of lavender follow through to a medium body with fine tannins that are polished and poised. Caressing texture. A blend of 58% cabernet sauvignon, 37% merlot, and 5% petit verdot.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Château Malescot St.-Exupéry remains charming and approachable, revealing aromas of cassis, violet, dark berries and pepper, seamlessly integrated with oak. Medium- to full-bodied, rich and dense, it is built around a sapid, enveloping core of fruit, framed by velvety tannins and concluding with a delicately fresh, licorice-inflected finish. The blend—58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot—was matured for the first time partly in foudres, complemented by 60% new oak.
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Decanter
Here we have a wine that succeeds with aromatic refinement, including white flower, crushed herbs, blackberry, plum, cassis and raspberry with hints of fine dark chocolate. Quite nice indeed. Now, the palate does have an initially tight and structured feel, highlighted by high-toned, crisp fruit, but then comes the seashell fresh finish, which grew on me, with a veritably appealing drinkability aspect. Potential for a higher score once barrel ageing takes its course.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Vinous
The 2023 Malescot St. Exupéry is a powerful Margaux that will need a bit of time to come together. Potent tannins wrap around a core of red/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and dried herbs. These days, Malescot is not quite as unyielding as it used to be, but this remains a decidedly old-school Margaux in style and overall philosophy. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Jeb Dunnuck
A touch old school in style yet certainly loaded with character, the 2023 Château Malescot Saint Exupéry is based on 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot and aged 15 months in 60% new oak. Ripe red and black fruits, new saddle leather, and savory herbs all define the nose, and it's medium-bodied on the palate, with good concentration, borderline rustic tannins, solid mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. It has good overall balance and will keep for two decades in a cold cellar.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.