Malescot St-Exupéry: Genuine Wines That Over-Deliver
We just landed a parcel of 2019 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux $59.99 96JS 96VN 95DC that hits every mark—and I couldn’t be more excited to share it.
Price? One of the best on the market.
Provenance? As perfect as it gets.
Top Left Bank vintage? Without a doubt—one of my personal favorites.
Critical acclaim to rival the region’s finest? Absolutely.
From one of Bordeaux’s great producers? No question.
Amazingly, this is par for the course for Malescot—a wine that’s been wowing clients and critics alike for decades, and for good reason. To me, it strikes the ideal balance between accessibility and seriousness: it’s all too easy to pull the cork now, but patience is richly rewarded. And while the style leans a bit more flamboyant than some of its Margaux peers, the wines are always integrated, thoughtful, and beautifully made.
Jean-Luc Zuger—and now his daughter Léa—have been quietly and humbly crafting wines that speak for themselves. And often, that’s exactly how they’re presented. In a world where most châteaux roll out the red carpet—second wines, prestige cuvées, flashy tasting rooms—Malescot offers something refreshingly different.
It feels like a working winery, because it is. The Zugers are gracious hosts, but they let the wine do the talking. Ask questions—they welcome it. And the honesty in their answers is just as refreshing as the wines. Curious how the ’23 stacks up to past vintages? While others might default to generic praise, Léa candidly told us exactly where she thinks it stands, with confidence and clarity. Everyone talks about vintage variation—very few engage with it so directly.
But straightforward doesn’t mean simple. The complexity is in the glass, not in the pitch. Every vintage shows the care and detail that define this estate. And the consistency? That’s something I treasure more and more as Bordeaux evolves. Styles shift, but certain properties stay rooted. Malescot remains rock-solid.
At its best, Bordeaux offers a world-class experience that far outpaces its price point. That’s one of my guiding principles when buying for the category—and Malescot makes it easy. This 2019 is a textbook example. It’ll thrill longtime Bordeaux lovers, but it’s also an incredibly accessible way to experience top-tier Left Bank elegance. Whether you’re drinking now or cellaring for the future, this is one you don’t want to miss.