Malescot Saint Exupery - Margaux 2016

Jancis Robinson

16,5

byJancis Robinsonthe2/5/2020

Jeb DUNNUCK

96

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/1/2019

The ruby/plum-colored 2016 Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry comes from vines in the heart of the Margaux appellation and is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It’s a total rock star of wine and has fabulous notes of crème de cassis, barbecue smoke, graphite, and sandalwood that build beautifully with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, layered, and seamless, it’s incredibly impressive and I’d wager up with the finest vintages ever from this estate. Give it a few years and enjoy over the following 20-25. Bravo!

Wine Spectator

93

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

This opens slowly, showing a slight woodsy bent, with alder and mesquite notes leading off, but as it does the core of red currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavor fleshes out nicely, soaking up the woodsy element while adding in light savory detail and black tea and violet notes. A long mineral echo chimes through the finish. Best from 2022 through 2036. 9,975 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

A stunning red with currants, blackberries, roses and violets. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and polish and finesse to the powerful tannins. A real stunner. Better than 2015. Take a serious look at it, beginning 2024.

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

The 2016 Malescot Saint Exupéry has a well-defined bouquet of ample red currant, cranberry and strawberry fruit laced with rose petal and hints of graphite. There is something almost Saint Julien–like about the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, graphite-infused black fruit, and quite linear and poised, but it conveys a genuine sense of energy and tension toward the classic finish. A magnificent Margaux.

Vinous

95

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

The 2016 Malescot Saint Exupéry is fabulous. Powerful and explosive on the palate, the 2016 offers serious intensity, but it also appears to be holding back quite a bit of its potential. Moreover, what impresses me most is that in 2016, intensity is delivered with finesse than with the brutish power that is such a signature of Malescot. Deep and resonant, but also remarkably polished, the 2016 Malescot is a winner. Hints of iron, smoke, cedar, tobacco and scorched earth add nuance, but it is the wine's sense o poise that is most remarkable. I loved it. Tasted three times.

Wine Advocate

95

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Malescot St. Exupery sings of cassis, fragrant earth, tobacco and lilacs with a compelling waft of mocha. Medium to full-bodied and strutting loads of expressive fruit layers at this youthful stage, it's framed by ripe, grainy tannins and oodles freshness, finishing with great length and depth.

Decanter.com

93

byJane Ansonthe10/30/2018

This has forward oak edging and attractively smoky fireside notes of ash and grilled sarments. The tannins are monolithic at this stage, and there's a lot to be impressed about in this wine, although it has closed down pretty severely, emphasising austerity rather than seduction. There's no question that all the elements for ageing are present and correct - it's a confident expression of the vintage and one with huge potential. Matured in 70% new oak. From a high yield of 51hl/ha. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040

WeinWisser

18

byTjark Witzgallthe5/22/2017

Dunkles Granat mit satter Mitte und violetten Reflexen. Zarter Beginn mit Wildkirsche und Kirschtabak, dahinter schwarze Johannisbeere. Am festen Gaumen mit kräftigem Tanningerüst und guter Frische, Schattenmorellenim Rückaroma und ein sehr langes gebündeltes Finale, mit sehr guten Anlagen und Potenzial. Kann noch zulegen.

Bettane & Desseauve

96

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

Très bien défini, impeccable dans sa construction en bouche, rivalisera avec le 2010.

Wine Advocate

94-96

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

The 2016 Malescot-St-Exupery has an opulent, lavish and pure bouquet with billowing black cherry and blueberry fruit, a touch of mint and graphite emerging with time. I love the delineation to this Margaux. The palate is very well balanced, sensual and voluptuous in style, but that does not detract from the fine structure here and the precision towards the finish. Everything seems to be in its right place here; it is one of the best Malescot-St-Exupery that I have tasted and it is wonderful.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

lackberry liqueur, boysenberry, espresso bean and dark chocolate over black cherry open up the nose. Fat, titillating, deep and lavish, this wine is ambrosial, powerful and mouth filling. The finish is fresh and packed with the ripest, sweetest, juiciest, dark red fruits. Produced from a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.72. The Grand Vin represents 72% of the harvest, which took place October 1 to October 25. 

Vinous

92-95

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

The 2016 Malescot Saint Exupéry is superb. Powerful, virile and inviting, yet with tremendous balance for such a young wine, the 2016 captivates all the senses. Smoke, licorice, incense and a host of more soil-driven notes give the wine its signature aromatic profile. Malescot Saint Exupéry is a decidedly muscular Margaux, but the extraction also seems a bit dialed back.

matthewjukes.com

16

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

(55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 37 Merlot, 6 Cabernet Franc, 2 Petit Verdot) | 70% new oak | 13.3% alc. | 69 IPT Oaky on the nose and hard and a little stripped on the palate this is a wine which teeters on rawness and the green fruit doesn’t have enough intensity or ripeness to shine through. This is a shame because the texture is spot on and there are clearly some good parcels of fruit in this wine. 16+

Decanter.com

93

byJane Ansonthe4/24/2017

Some coffee bean smudges across the nose give this a sexy, appealing edge right off the bat, followed up by chewy tannins that manage to hold the by rich, deep, beautifully extracted fruit without smothering it. This is one of the fuller expressions of the vintage, no question. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

Jancis Robinson

15,5

byJancis Robinsonthe4/20/2017

Quite gamey and savoury on the nose. Then rather strung out and austere on the palate. Doesn’t hang together. This bottle anyway is a disappointment in the context of the vintage. Austere.

Wine Enthusiast

92-94

byRoger Vossthe4/19/2017

Barrel Sample. This estate is really improving. The wine in this vintage is full of fragrant fruit, with the tannins making a fine backdrop to the juiciness. It's going to be a fine medium-term wine.

Wine Spectator

92-95

byJames Molesworththe4/10/2017

A layered, ripe style, with warm ganache and tobacco notes set over a lovely core of plum sauce and blackberry fruit. A licorice edge on the finish rounds this off. Enticing and polished, with a sanguine hint adding range.—J.M.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

This is a superb wine. I didn't think it could be better than the 2015 but indeed it is. Full, layered and sexy. It goes on for minutes with dense fruit, yet it's also vivid and showcases sublime tannins and acidity balance. Great finish.