Bordeaux 2011 Primeurs: Margaux Tasting Notes
Sadly, my spur-of-the-moment detour to Palmer, and the important appointment I had with a Ryanair jet at Bordeaux Mérignac, meant I did not have as much time at the UGC Margaux tasting as I would have liked. Thus I missed out a few châteaux here that I would normally endeavour to taste, wines such as Angludet, Cantenac-Brown, Desmirail and Dauzac. Happily though I did manage to taste a reasonable cross-section of grands crus, both here and at tastings earlier in the week. And, to be fair, they provided a marked contrast to the hard-won successes seen at Palmer and Margaux. This is a commune that has clearly suffered in 2011; it seems it was not possible to make a good wine without great sacrifice in this vintage.
The strongest of the bunch is Rauzan-Ségla, tasted here but also at the château (pictured), as it shows a good depth of colour, intensity, a vibrant rim, fresh and deeply veined fruit and good substance. Many of the other châteaux lagged behind significantly though; the last time there was such a spread of quality was the 2008 vintage, when I recall finding Alter Ego – the second wine of Palmer, obviously – superior to every other grand vin in the commune shown at the UGC tasting shortly afterwards. Keeping our focus on 2011, some estate here have clearly not put in the required effort in terms of selection, as there are some really unripe, green-fruit flavours in some of the wines. Sometimes this comes across as a very straightforward ‘greenness’, reminiscent of green capsicum, fennel, dill or similar flavours, whereas in others it manifests as a deeper vegetal tone, more like aubergine, or a very smoky oiliness. Whatever the symptom, the effect on the nose and palate is not attractive.
