DEEP COVER: 98-rated 2009 Margaux for a buck and a quarter???!!!

Rubbing my eyes in disbelief…

Robert Parker could not be more accurate about Malescot St. Exupéry being “a terrific model for why Bordeaux produces the world’s greatest wines, combining intensity of flavor and power without heaviness, something virtually impossible to duplicate anywhere else in the world.”

We’ve been suffering from a lack of Bordeaux as of late but WOW, what a treat today! Collectors and newbies to the scene alike - here’s a rare chance to score one of Margaux’s most esteemed classified growths. Hugely popular, always high-scoring, and quite reasonably priced.

Did we say $125? That’s what the RELEASE price was back in the day!!! Hitting peak just now, it’s got the reserves for a couple of decades of glorious savoring, too…

A tiny amount was all we could procure, sadly with apologies, this one will go quickly!

98 Points – James Suckling “My Wine of the Year is Malescot St. Exupery, one of my favorite wines from the extraordinary vintage of 2009 in Bordeaux. It’s always shown such fabulous complexity and balance regardless of when I first tasted it in the barrel, and now in the bottle. I should add that I have done much more than tasted it in recent months. I have consumed numerous bottles of the wine in Bordeaux as well as Hong Kong in the last few months, and the wine is absolutely delicious as well as shows fabulous structure. It underlines what I learned at an early stage of tasting great Bordeaux in the 1980s, when the late winemaker Emile Peynaud pointed out that a great wine is always great to taste or even drink - regardless if it is a barrel sample, bottled wine, or mature bottle. The 2009 Malescot is that sort of wine. A wine with intense spice and berry character, with hints of sweet tobacco. It changes all the time from flowers to fruit and wet earth. Full-bodied, with super fine tannins and ripe fruit. It’s long and juicy with lovely fruit. Super long and beautiful, with fine tannins that last for minutes. Tight now, but juicy and gorgeous. Best ever from here.”

96 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “This is another fabulous effort from an estate that has been doing extraordinary work over the last 10-15 years. I enjoyed the 2009 as much as the 2005, perhaps even slightly more because while it has structure, the tannins are less aggressive and there is more succulence, flesh and texture in the 2009. An inky/purple color is followed by notes of Asian plum sauce, forest floor, creme de cassis, black raspberries and a floral component that is unusual for a Margaux. A wine of exceptional intensity and purity with a full-bodied, sumptuous texture, lots of fresh vibrancy and excellent definition, this beautiful 2009 exhibits high but sweet tannin. It is more sexy than the 2005 was at a similar age, although their level of extract and concentration is relatively equal. Something about the 2009 reminds me of a Margaux version of St.-Julien’s Leoville Poyferre … if that makes any sense. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.”