René Gabriel
00: Barrel sample (18/20): Intense mulberry bouquet; as with the Pavillon, there’s plenty of cherry on the nose here too, backed by fine woods, tobacco, currants; still comes across a bit dry. On the palate, melting extract, plenty of concentration; the body shows a slender note at first, then grabs hold and brings immense astringency; here too, the cherry tone lends a certain Rhône affinity; coffee, plums and dark roses on the finish. The tannins will surely dominate the core aromatics over the next ten years; then this Margaux will reveal itself as a somewhat more feminine variant of the 1981 vintage. Tasted just after bottling at the Château: intoxicating dried-fruit perfume; the Merlot feels perfumed and the fruit shows a damson plum note; bread crust from gentle toasting; a delicious olfactory orgy. Silky, fine texture, plenty of lingonberries and mulberries; showing beautifully now, Burgundy-like. A feminine, perhaps rather medium-weight Margaux that will give pleasure very soon and for a long time (18/20). 03: During the Margaux workshop at Alp Prui in Ftan: Powerful, spicy bouquet with inky accents, forest mushrooms, lingonberry and nut tones; perfumed and very red-berried with a floral touch. Very fine texture, silky, medium concentration yet beautifully balanced; a discreet, aromatic sweetness coming from barrique toasting and the tannins; delicate praline note and a long finish ending in caramel. The greatness of this wine clearly lies in its class and finesse (18/20). 04: On the rise, and Margaux 1999 is not the only ’99 from this appellation to show as much greatness as a truly great vintage: Extremely dark garnet with a purple hue. Anyone who brings this wine to the nose can tell from 20 cm away that this must be a memorable wine; the nose is complex and perfect from the first impression: walnuts, prunes, coffee, a dramatic interplay of terroir and sweetness shot through with malt and Darjeeling notes, black truffles galore, also a hint of lemon thyme (Château Rayas nuances!) and above all lots of ripe, multi-layered cassis. The incredible complexity continues on the palate; soft, velvety, mouth-fillingly rich yet not fat; every detail is spot on; the dance of the berries is almost joyful and the wood is creamily integrated; powerful finish. A great wine can also be sexy. The other way round is already harder. It’s not a crime to drain a large glass in one go in its youth—as long as you then take the necessary time on the palate to understand its true greatness. Right now it’s in such a splendid phase that one could credit it, as the only ’99 Bordeaux, with the maximum score. In autumn 2004, this wine stood “wedged” between the great Lafite 2000 and the brawny Mouton 1998. So not for the less sensitive tasters, as this wallflower showed itself slender and delicate, almost submissive. Since I knew the three wines, I advised the guests to start with the Margaux and drink it up completely before turning to the other Pauillac heavyweights. A instructive exercise to properly grasp this highly fine, elegant Margaux 1999 (19/20). 05: Drunk at the Château on an autumn morning with a group from the Académie du Vin. Everyone was thrilled—including the tour leader! And three weeks later at a CS Wine & Dine at Restaurant Spice: an absolutely great Margaux and thus, in this vintage, an insider tip! (19/20). 07: Medium ruby-purple. Powerful bouquet: gamey aromas, inky notes, musk, green tea, spicy Cabernet touch; multi-layered and open. Pleasant palate, terroir spice, meaty, supporting astringency; the tannins are still a bit leathery; shows truffle, base wood and plenty of reserves on the finish. (19/20). 09: A magnum at the Hermitage Ste Maxime from Lucien Schmidlin’s cool cellar. Sweet, round, with lots of charm, nicely perfumed, soft and Burgundian—a feast for the pampered palate. Will newer Margaux also become so fine and delicate? I don’t think so! 09: Tasted with four other ’99 Premiers. Open, red plums, Dominican tobacco, wax, slight excess of acidity. Wasn’t entirely happy with the thing. This bottle: 18/20. 13: Small vintage? Not at all! Still very saturated with many purple reflections. The nose is very berry-driven (wild raspberries), red cherries and a sweet touch of grenadine in a bouquet laced with light tobacco. On the palate, dense, structured and still showing good astringency, albeit logically fading. We kept the wine in a decanter for three hours. And… it was exactly on point. (19/20). 14: The nose smells like truly great Bordeaux, truffle and herbs. On the palate, with character. It resembles its own 1979 more and more. (19/20). 14: Wonderfully open, lovely red-berried, Burgundian fruit. On the palate, velvety and full. Huge fun at a high level. Tastes better than the vintage overall. (19/20). 16: Very dark ruby, wild-cherry touch, wild raspberries, discreet floral accompanying notes and still underlying roast aromas; concentrated and delicate at the same time. On the palate, fruitier than on the nose, fitting substance and ending with a long, red-berried finish. A surprisingly great Margaux and a magnificent 1999. It is significantly better than the general vintage image. There are other surprises too, but few at this level. (19/20). 16: The wonderful scent is like that of a truly great Margaux. On the palate it is now slowly becoming a bit more slender, and thus the contours of the not-quite-great vintage come to the fore. (18/20). 17: Lightening garnet, a bit matte and lightening at the rim. The nose still shows quite a lot of roast notes, a touch of glutamate, prunes and milk chocolate. It conveys such a wonderful red-berried sweetness. In the background, fine nuances of red pepper from just-ripe grapes. On the palate, substantial, again rather red-berried, but this suits this quite great Margaux. Without great vintages alongside, one would easily underestimate this wine. A Burgundian Bordeaux pleasure. (18/20). 17: At the restaurant Les Santons in Grimaud (southern France). Has developed little in recent years. So enjoy without haste.
