Wine recommendation Chateau Margaux 1996
Recommendation for May 2009
I have some really good news, yesterdat we managed to secure an amazing investment wine to recommend to you.
This stock from a Wine Fund that is needing liquidity due to some investors that are forced to cash in. It matched our bid price and we snapped it up quickly to secure it at this price.
This is a wonderful parcel of a Bordeaux First Growth – Chateau Margaux.
This Margaux is getting close to maturity now it’s 2009 so connoisseurs alike will be looking to drink this wine at the present. Robert Parkers notes were “you can drink this wine from 2005 onwards” so by right, connoisseurs have already begun drinking it therefore it’s consumption should be decreasing.
The price is very low, I can offer you this for 4400 pound sterling a case. It’s a superb deal for a wine that is not only 99 points rated but over 13 years old!
This margaux will mature well into the bottle up to the year 2040 so there is plenty of time to keep and hold this one over the long haul.
We can see this one doing well over the next year or so even though we always advise you to hold it for at least three years. There is a possibility of some short to medium term gain.
The high on this Margaux in the last 12 months has been 5500 and it has been as low as 4200 so it’s a great time to buy now at the low price, it has moved up slightly from its low which indicates it is creeping back up. Don’t forget its original price was 5500 UK pounds/case before the market took a downturn back in October last year.
This is the only first growth that comes from Margaux in Bordeaux, France. The Vintage is 1996 and the stock comes in it’s original wooden cases. It came direct from Chateau where it was bottled to another bonded warehouse also in London. Since then it has not moved so carries excellent provenance. All Labels are perfect and the stock is now in our London City Bond warehouse account ready for transfer to its proud owners.
Robert Parker has given this wine 99 Points, its an amazing score and he mentioned in his tasting notes that it reminds him of the 1982 and the 1990 Vintages. A case of 1990 will cost you 8000 Pounds in the market today.
Wine Spectator gave it a superb rating of 95 out of 100 points.
Neal Martin said the Margaux 96 is the best wine of the 1990’s and needs 10 years to reach its optimum drinking pleasure. He also said it was absolutely Brilliant. He last tasted it in September 2005 and gave it 99 out of 100 Points.
Decanter Magazine gave it a four star rating and noted it’s beauty. They are also saying Chateaux Margaux is probably the wine of the Vintage.
The vintage 2005 Margaux is selling today at 5300 Pounds per Case, and its only rated 98 Points. It’s not only 9 years younger but its 900 Pounds more than this Margaux 1996 I have found for you.
This 1996 vintage of Margaux we are recommending has some great potential, we think it’s a real winner. Now is a really good time, anyone investing into the market right now should do very well in the next 12 months the position that the market is poised. We are of course also buying this recommendation for our own investment purposes.
Wine Advocate # 110 – Review Apr 1997 Robert Parker (96-100) – Drink: 2004 – 2035
Chateau Margaux, along with Leoville-Las Cases in St.-Julien, was among the handful of properties that did not finish their Cabernet Sauvignon harvest until October 12. Whether that was a factor or not, both of these estates undoubtedly produced compellingly great wines in 1996. At Chateau Margaux, the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between October 1 and October 12. The final blend produced a wine with nearly 13% natural alcohol, and relatively low acidity. I have tasted some extraordinary Margauxs over the last 18 years, but I have never tasted a Chateau Margaux as rich and Cabernet-dominated as the 1996. Certainly the 1986 came close to this level of quality at the same stage of development, but the 1996, which is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, and 10% Merlot, contains 10% less Merlot than the 1986. Unequivocally, the 1996 Margaux is a candidate for perfection. The Mentzelopoulos family has made a number of spectacular wines since they took over this estate in 1977, but the 1996 is so extraordinary that it may prove to be more prodigious than the legendary wines they fashioned in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1990. Paul Pontallier and Corinne Mentzelopoulos confirmed that they had never before picked Cabernet Sauvignon with such high sugars. The 1996 Margaux boasts an opaque black/blue/purple color that resembles ink. The nose offers extraordinarily sweet, jammy, blackcurrant fruit that has totally absorbed the effects of four months in 100% new oak barrels. I noticed this phenomenon with most of the top 1996s, and I consider it to be indicative of just how rich in extract the finest wines of this vintage are. I cannot recall a young vintage absorbing and masking the new oak as well as the finest 1996s have done. The wine hits the palate with extraordinary purity, richness, and equilibrium. Every component in this seamless, velvety as well as voluptuously-textured wine is stunning. As I was slushing the wine around on my palate, chills suddenly ran down my back as I realized I was in the presence of one of the greatest young wines I had ever tasted. Given the high Cabernet Sauvignon content, I expected the tannins to be more obvious, but this wine is so rich that the high tannin level is buried beneath the wine’s extraordinary levels of glycerin, extract, and fruit. It is difficult to imagine when this wine might reach full maturity. I suspect it will exhibit more tannin in 1-2 years than it does at present, but the wine possesses such amazing sweetness and richness, that I suspect it will be approachable when young. It will not hit its peak for 15 or more years. It will be a fascinating wine to follow over the next 3-4 decades. Kudos to Corinne Mentzeloupolos and her mother, as well as their talented administrator, Paul Pontallier. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2035.
Wine Advocate # 115 – Review Feb 1998 Robert Parker (98-100) – Drink: 2006 – 2040
The 1996 is a modern day legend. I reported in detail on the prodigious quality of the 1996 Margaux in issue #110. This wine, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, achieved a natural alcohol of nearly 13%. The wine’s acidity is low, largely because the estate harvested the Cabernet Sauvignon extremely late, not completing the harvest until mid-October. The wine, which was the single greatest wine I tasted from the 1996 vintage in spring, 1997, continues to give every indication of being one of the all-time great clarets from this renowned wine region. The dense opaque purple color possesses a thick, unctuous texture. The nose offers celestial aromas of cassis, vanillia, and intriguing blackberry and floral scents in the background. Despite aging in 100% new oak, the fruit dominates the wine, with the oak offering a minor background nuance. In the mouth, the wine is massive, but not heavy, with extraordinary richness, perfect precision and equilibrium, an opulent texture, and remarkably well-integrated tannin, acidity, and alcohol. Revealing dazzling sweetness at present, the 1996 may be the finest Chateau Margaux I have tasted in the two decades I have been visiting this property. Can it surpass the quality of the 1990, 1986, 1983, and 1982, not to mention the fabulous 1995? Time will tell, but this is one of the most compelling wines I have tasted. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2040.
Wine Advocate # 122 – Review April 1999 Robert Parker 99 Points – Drink: 2005 -2040
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, which was bottled in September, 1998, is undoubtedly one of the great classics produced under the Mentzelopoulos regime. In many respects, it is the quintessential Chateau Margaux, as well as the paradigm for this estate, combining measured power, extraordinary elegance, and admirable complexity. I tasted the wine on three separate occasions in January, and in short, it’s a beauty! The color is opaque purple. The wine offers extraordinarily pure notes of blackberries, cassis, pain grille, and flowers, gorgeous sweetness, a seamless personality, and full body, with nothing out of place. The final blend (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) contains a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It tastes complete and long, although backward. My instincts suggests this wine will shut down, but at present it is open-knit, tasting like a recently bottled wine. The fruit is exceptionally sweet and pure, and there are layers of flavor in the mouth. I do believe this wine will develop an extraordinary perfume, and possess a high level of richness. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040.
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