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Margaux 1978

Margaux, First Growth

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Tasting Notes

Tasted at the Amuse Bouche offline in Hong Kong. Thank you to Gautam for proffering this splendid magnum, the larger format showing how it can age in more superior fashion to a bottle. Of course, this was the vintage that saw the First Growth exit the doldrums. It has a classic, crisp, well-defined bouquet with fresh tobacco, undergrowth, dried flowers and minerals, still full of vigour and joy. The palate is beautifully balanced with very fine tannins and a fresh thread of acidity that goes from start to finish. Given the vintage then yes, it is a little foursquare and it lacks the chutzpah of the 1983. But for pure drinking pleasure, this 1978 ticks all the boxes. Tasted November 2011.

Score: 94

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 01 January 2012

Although the 1978 is a more powerful, fuller-bodied style of Margaux, it is less charming and fruity than the 1979. The 1978's nose has moved from one of ripe fruit and spicy oak, to tarry, truffle, earthy aromas that come across as slightly too masculine and meaty. Nevertheless, this is a rich, full-bodied, concentrated Margaux that only suffers in comparison with the great vintages produced under the Mentzelopoulos regime. Some of its rusticity may be due to tannins that were not totally ripe during the harvest. In any event, it remains one of the few great wines from the 1978 vintage. While I initially thought it would be fully mature within two decades of the vintage, it could still benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2020.

Score: 92

Robert Parker, 'Bordeaux' 3rd Ed. Maturity: 2000-2020 01 January 1998