WTN: '96 & '99 Prieure – Lichine Margaux

[geo t.]

The guys at Cloverleaf Fine Wine in Southfield got a good quantity of the following two vintages of Prieure – Lichine Margaux, and as soon as I got wind of that fact, I tried them both out.

1996 Chateau Prieure – Lichine Margaux, $27.20, 12.5% alc.: Dark garnet fading to pink at the rim, with just the faintest tinge of rust, this is pretty tight when first poured, but it opens steadily over a period of four hours, and by the last glass, it really sings. It shows flavors and aromas of tobacco, black currant, cassis, blackberry, earth – mineral and something like old barrels, for lack of a better description. Kim remarked that it “smells like a fresh cardboard box,” and she didn’t mean that unkindly, nor was she referring to any kind of taint. There’s still a good dose of tannins on a medium full bodied frame here, so this is in no danger of fading any time soon; it’ll probably drink well over the next decade. As it opens, it also develops notes of cedar and a subtle herbaceous quality that adds interest and complexity. Not great Margaux, but certainly very good Margaux, and I really enjoy it, especially at this price.

1999 Chateau Prieure – Lichine Margaux, $24.65, 12.5% alc.: Deeper in color than the ’96 model, but not as deep in body or flavor profile, which is dominated by dry, unbuttered toast from the first sip through the last, along with added impressions of black currant, cassis, some tobacco, a little dark chocolate, a certain creamy quality and again, some of that old wood underneath it all. Like the ’96, it opens, evolves and improves over four hours, showing more and more tobacco – cigar box, with at least five years worth of tannins to take it further on down the road. A solid middleweight Margaux at a friendly price; not quite up to the ’96, but fine on its own terms.

Imported by Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Co., New York, NY

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.