Malescot-St-Exupéry in Redwood City
Last week in the James Barr Tasting Room at K&L in Redwood City, the staff was honored with a visit from Bordeaux, France, from Léa Zuger, fourth-generation owner of one of the top wineries in the Margaux region, Malescot-St-Exupéry. Between the riches of the cellars of Château Malescot and the vast stores of knowledge of K&L owner Clyde Beffa, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The staff tasted ten different vintages of the 3eme Grand Cru Classé château ranging from 2000 to 2019.
Lea told the story of the château, one of the few remaining family-owned Grand Cru Classé châteaus on the Left Bank:
Her great grandfather Paul Zuger began working at the château in 1936. By 1955, he’d purchased it with his son Roger from the English firm that owned it at the time. Since then, they have painstakingly raised the status of Malescot to one of the most sought-after wines in Bordeaux, fueled by four generations of experience and its world-class terroir (well situated right next to Château Margaux). They have mostly a non-interventionist philosophy: all their wines are unfiltered, unfined, unracked, and unyeasted (no commercial yeast). Plus, their generations of experience in responding to vintage challenges help them produce superb wines even in vintages when their peers fall short.
We tasted through the lineup, and the wines were each unique and stunning. They each gave off the powerful gravelly, floral bouquet that Margaux is famous for, but the added aged smoky-leathery nuances from the older vintages were downright infatuating.
Here are some of the highlights currently in stock:
The 2000 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux $159.99 was perfectly matured Bordeaux with sweet, savory red fruit, whiffs of gravelly smoke, and old vintage leather, plus a long, silky finish. This is the kind of wine you could just sit and nose for an entire evening, but it tastes too good to drink as slowly as it deserves.
2005 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux $149.99 is from another knockout vintage, and the bottle is just reaching full maturity. The structure of the vintage has aged these wines at a snails-pace, but the sweet fruit and ripe tannins have integrated and the edges are nowhere to be seen. The finish was unbelievable.
The 2006 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux $99.99 has aged amazingly. It is giving off aromas of ripe strawberries, cherries, and cigar box spices, with touch of smoked game. The fruit is fresh and vibrant, the texture silkened by time. Given the price break for the vintage, this is one of the best deals in our inventory for top-tier Margaux.
2009 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux was the showstopper. The rich dark fruit, along with the violets and black pepper from added Cabernet Franc, were so satisfying on the palate, like they can be only in great vintages. The finish lasted a good minute. This is still young, and set to age the distance.
Although my cardinal rule for great Bordeaux is to wait 10 years, I might make an exception for the 2014 Malescot-St-Exupéry, Margaux $59.99. It already has heady aromas of sweet dark cherry, tobacco, and spice that would accompany a juicy ribeye steak perfectly. It is easily the best quality-to-price pick of the lineup.
The perennial quality and elegance of Château Malescot has made it a customer and K&L favorite for many years, and finally seeing the classy yellow label back on our shelves has brought many Bay Area Bordeaux lovers great joy. Tasting through this lineup with the charming and down-to-earth owner Léa made for a particularly good day down at the wine shop.