1967 Chateau Margaux

[mogsob]

An opportunity to buy a 67 Margaux at $45 a bottle. Any thoughts?

[dlc]

provenance and storage,storage,storage

[mogsob]

Well, that goes without saying. What I'd like to know is if anyone has ever had the '67 and can comment on whether, if preserved correctly, is worth the price. While Bordeaux seems to turn out pretty good wine year in and year out these days (albeit in differing quantities depending upon vintages), I am aware that this was not always the case.

[Winot]

Mogsob,

I know nothing about this but you might find the vintage chart from Berry Bros. Rudd useful:

Berry Bros. chart

W.

[GordonCooks]

An opportunity to buy a 67 Margaux at $45 a bottle.  Any thoughts?

A friend has a Margaux vertical ( I've enjoyed a decent 66, and an awesome 61 at his expense) He has a 67 but told me that most of the vintages between 62-77 were good at best. I would probably buy it for the price but a more astute collector may pass it by.

[marcus]

I wouldn't do it. I've had the 66, a much better year, and it was unimpressive. Chateau Margaux was underfinanced during the 60s and 70s and was seriously underperforming. Even the 61 was not as great as it should have been, the last great vintage of the old regime was 59. The Chateau was sold to a rich Greek familiy in the late 70s which produced its first vintage in 78 and began its renaissance. One can claim that Margaux became the single greatest Bordeaux producer of the 80s, a great decade by any measure, especially since Latour was following some misguided detours.

[SparrowsFall]

Absolutely run screaming. '67 was an execrable year. Parker's rating (FWIW) is the same as the year.

Nuff said.

Steve

[Steve Plotnicki]

I would do it even though '67 is a dreadful vintage. I was once having dinner at Clementine and the people at the next table were celebrating their anniversary. They had a bottle of '67 Lafite which is a real dog. But they poured us some and the wine was terrific. So you never know with old Bordeaux. Lots of terrible wines have something charming about them. And at $45, it isn't that big a risk.

[marcus]

It takes a very dedicated and experienced wine connoisseur to find the nugget of interest in a wine such as this. The vast majority will find it thin and harsh. Not only won't it be worth the $45 dollars, but they probably won't enjoy it at all and wish that they had drunk something else.

[jaybee]

So much for heresay. I opened a bottle of '67 Lascombes (a premier crus Margaux) over Christmas. It was absolutely delicious. Of course it was in my cellar since 1970 so I know it was kept well. But it lacked nothing in finesse, perfume, fruit and delicacy. If Chateau Margaux is in good shape, how can you lose? "Execrable vintage" baloney.

[jaybee]

Did you buy the bottle?