Château Malescasse 2014

The 2014 Malescasse has a very ripe bouquet with blueberry and kirsch, very floral but just about managing to retain adequate delineation and focus. The palate is sweet and rounded on the entry with a patina of chocolaty new oak that renders the finish a little predictable. This was so impressive from barrel, but I feel that the élevage was perhaps extended a couple of days too long. I will seek to re-taste this. Tasted September 2016.

Pronounced liquorice and sweet blueberry flavours, still somewhat chewy and feels a little 'made', but there is polish and momentum throughout.

A gorgeous wine in its class, the 2014 Malescasse exudes sophistication. A blast of dark red and purplish-hued stone fruits makes a strong first impression. Silky and voluptuous on the palate, the wine offers notable depth in a hugely appealing midweight style. Best of all, it has developed beautifully over the last two years. This is an especially refined Malescasse that bodes very well for the future of the property. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Frédéric Massie and Hannah Fiegenschuh are the consulting winemakers.

Soft, round, open, easy-drinking, a crowd-pleasing charmer, with ripe red fruits accompanied by licorice, smoke, and tobacco leaf. This will be at its best over the next 6–8 years.

Young dark ruby red colour. Good purity on the nose, fresh cassis, plum and a fine toastiness. The palate has concentrated fruit in a medium body, ripe tannin and a fresh acidity, bright fruit flavours with red and black currant, some notes of sage and a long, pure finish.

The 2014 Château Malescasse is also terrific and is really cut from the same cloth as the 2015. Offering plenty of red plums, currants, and black cherry fruits intermixed with notions of fruit cake and spice, this beauty is soft, upfront, and elegant, with a ready-to-go style. There’s no harm in drinking it today, but it should keep for 7–8 years.

Very delicately aromatic—blueberry, blackberry, old rose, spices—with a melting texture, fresh tannins, length, and lovely brightness. Very elegant, highly drinkable.

A balanced, medium-bodied wine with plenty of finesse; the rusticity has been smoothed out. Good length, beautiful finish. The most elegant in history.

Ruby red with garnet highlights. A rather muted bouquet with graphite notes. With aeration, the nose reveals a touch of fruit. Notes of blackcurrant and blackberry. Juicy, fruity attack. Grainy tannins that emerge on the finish. The structure struggles to keep up with them. I think a little time could change the game.

This cru is changing. It’s becoming more aromatic on the nose, and its body seems done with dry tannins! 2014 shows juicy, flavorful, perfumed notes with wrapped-in tannins and pure aromas. A renewal to watch.

With vines in the village of Lamarque close to the Gironde estuary, this estate is well placed to benefit from the warmth of the water. The wine, a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot (with the remainder Petit Verdot) is richly structured and dense. It has firm tannins as well as perfumed black-currant fruit. The wine will be ready to drink from 2021.