Château Malescasse vertical: 2003 vs 2010

When I first started properly 'getting into' wine, one of my early forays into semi-premium territory was a purchase of a bottle of Château Malescasse, a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur Claret from Haut-Médoc. Why the Malescasse? A number of reasons: I knew I liked red Bordeaux and the Malescasse seemed a reasonably safe extravagance; the particularly vintage on sale at the time caught my eye; and the bottle, adorned with its royal blue cladding and its classically-styled livery, made me feel like I was buying a special product. (Okay, okay - I know it's a bane to wine merchants everywhere that a consumer should opt for a wine based on its bottle design, but wine buying is an emotional and sensory activity as well as a rational one, and producers would do well to bear this in mind when budgeting for marketing costs). Fortunately for me my purchase was justified, and to this day the wines of Château Malescasse remain my favourites in its category, as well as a Château that I eagerly purchase at every opportunity, whether in restaurants, wine shops or en primeur.

For this reason, Malescasse is a Château to which I do feel a strong emotional attachment, but there's no reason why others shouldn't enjoy their wines from a rational point of view too. Situated in between the famed terroirs of St Julien and Margaux, Château Malescasse is located atop 40 hectares of prized gravelly soils, typical of all the best vineyard sites in the Médoc. Originally recognised as a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in the now defunct 2003 classification, Malescasse remains a favourite of those in the know, who appreciate its pedigree and value for money. Like most Médoc estates, Malescasse has experienced its share of ups and downs, but quality really started to improve from the mid-1990s when the estate was purchased by the French telecoms giant Alcatel. The revival of Malescasse was secured in 2012 when it was acquired by its current owner, Philippe Austruy. Austruy, also owner of the renowned Peyrassol estate in Provence, invested heavily in the estate's vineyards and winery, resulting in a marked increase in quality. In fact, such is Austruy's dedication to quality that Malescasse was one of the first to announce that it would not produce any Grand Vin in 2013 due to the poor quality of the vintage. Thus, it is from 2014 and beyond that the wines of today's Château Malescasse will be able to be judged and appreciated.

At the Château, the vineyards are planted to 54% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot. Although this is slightly unusual for the Cabernet-dominated blends of Haut-Médoc, a higher Merlot content does allow Malescasse to be approached earlier in its life than its contemporaries. Certainly for my part, I always find Malescasse to have a certain plushness and density on the palate, which gives its wines a more 'New World' feel than some of the more austere, pencil lead-y Cru Bourgeois available. Don't just take my word for it though: Malescasse has its own celebrity wine followers too. In his seminal piece on the region 'Bordeaux: The Wines, The Vineyards, The Winemakers', wine expert Oz Clarke says of Château Malescasse: "[it] is an immensely reliable, soft-centred Haut-Médoc, but capable of aging if need be. In short, it is an excellent buy". I don't think I could have put it better myself! With this in mind, and as a guilty festive treat to myself, I uncorked one of my 2010s (bought in an unsplit case for a very reasonable sum from Tesco Wines back in 2015) to see how it compared to one of the current releases on the market, the 2003 (available via Majestic Wine). Below are some of my thoughts on both wines, as well as a comparison across the two vintages.


Château Malescasse 2010, Cru Bourgeois, Haut Médoc, 14%

  I'll start with the more recent of the two vintages - the 2010 - which is a beautiful example of Malescasse's plush yet slinky style. 2010 will live long in the memory for Claret lovers as a superb vintage, with a warm, dry summer to aid ripeness yet cool nights to ensure good acidity and tannins in the grapes. In short, as Jancis Robinson puts it, it was a vintage for "classical palates".

The 2010 is ruby-coloured in glass, still deep at the core, with lingering, glycerine-like legs reflecting the wine's high alcoholic content. The wine is moderately aromatic, but with an incredible complexity of flavours. Beautiful hints of blackcurrant cream and bright kirsch come to the fore, with undertones of jam and roasted coffee. The palate is mid to full-bodied, with tannins which are evident yet unobtrusive. Flavours of blackcurrant and creamy blueberry yoghurt are immediately noticeable, whereas the classic Left Bank pencil lead arrives later on the mid-palate and the finish. On the whole, the wine has a sense of composure, in that all its elements are in harmony, which allows the ripe, oak-kissed flavours and Malescasse's trademark opulence to take centre stage. As suggested by Oz Clarke, the 2010 Malescasse is a fantastic example of a Claret that is easy to enjoy in its adolescence, yet with enough obvious structure to be enjoyable ten years from vintage. A gorgeous, gorgeous wine.


Château Malescasse 2003, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, Haut Médoc, 13%

Whereas 2010 was a something of a dream vintage for winemakers, 2003 most certainly was not. Primarily, this was due to a single factor: excessive heat. Right across Western Europe, winemakers had to contend with searing heatwaves, and this was keenly felt in the vineyards of Bordeaux. Throughout the growing season, there were more than 50 days where the temperature reached 30c, and several where the mercury crept over 37c. At one point, Château Lafite Rotshchild even recorded 50c. Although September rains brought welcome respite, by that point much of the harvest had been reduced due to vine inactivity from water stress and shrivelled, raisined grapes on the vines. Those vineyards that fared best were located in the Northern Médoc, whose late-ripening Cabernet grapes were able to withstand the heat and produce respectable, and - in some cases - brilliant wines.

When tasting the 2003 Malescasse, the heat of the vintage becomes evident: whether it be the wine's fading, garnet/tawny colour or the drying, coarse nature of the tannins. That's not to suggest for one moment that the 2003 is a bad wine - far from it in fact. I found the aromatics of the wine to be more marked than its younger sibling, yet with more dried fruits apparent (think strawberry peel and dried blackcurrants). On the palate, the dry tannins provide structure for the wine, which is necessary given the low acidity. Flavours of blackberry, prune and cinnamon are present in the mouth, which do retain a slight sweetness despite the wine's age. Overall, I do like this wine; however I've liked it much more on previous occasions, and I think that age is finally beginning to catch up with it. Enjoyment is still to be found within (there's something about seeing sediment clinging to the insides of the bottle after decanting which is really rather satisfying) and aged Claret always makes a cracking match for mature hard cheeses; but I cannot shake the feeling that the 2003 is slightly misshapen and more out of balance than it was 6 months previous. My advice would be to drink up in 2017 and savour the final charms of a great wine in its sunset years.

A cracking pair

Vertical tastings of one's favourite wines are always a winner. As well as being immensely pleasurable, they also provide an academic insight into the structure and ageability of wines, and how a wine from the same estate can vary dramatically depending on age and vintage. For Château Malescasse, the 2010 displayed the estate's signature style in exemplary fashion, with a plush, luxurious, creamy wine from a vintage that will long be remembered. If the 2010 is the 3 litre Audi, then the 2003 must surely be the vintage Citroën 2CV: less polished and showy, but mature, charming and assured nonetheless. Both, I feel sure, you'd be thrilled to take for a spin. Cheers, and a happy 2017 to all my fellow wine lovers!