It’s always a mini-drama to open the last bottle of a vintage. Jean-Luc Zuger generously wanted to share this moment with a few friends, as the crowning glory of a great vertical tasting of the wines from this highly respected château in Margaux, that cultivates discretion in the image of its owner. We all admired the clarity of expression of the recent vintages made with the advice of Michel Rolland, wines that are modern in their energy, their volume on the palate and the beautiful ripeness of the grapes. Those prior to 1982 were less so. The vegetal Cabernet Sauvignon of the time was not redeemed by rustic tannins in their stiffness. Then came the magnificent 1870. We all knew the mythical character of the vintage, both abundant and ripe. But we had no idea to what extent the current vintages were in fact its worthy successors. The texture and smoothness were intact and perceptible, the hallmarks of a perfectly ripe harvest. Yet the mystery remains. How were they able to extract so much strength and nobility with such rudimentary means compared to our technology and oenological knowledge? And, above all, to give it a stability capable of defying more than a century of bottle ageing? It’s a blow to our self-esteem. You only have to read the texts of the time, or slightly earlier, to admire the agronomic perfectionism of a generation of producers who drew their inspiration from countless learned societies, taking advantage of the birth of the experimental science so dear to Claude Bernard. The 1855 classification was the consequence, not the cause, of this perfectionism. Just like the demands of the brokers and merchants of the heyday of the Chartrons. Far from the routine carelessness that I unfortunately witnessed in the 1970s and 1980s. The magic of Cabernet was still in full effect, with noble aromas of cedar and a straightforwardness that harmonised all the moments that we so often separate, but which in great bottles unite aromas and body, entry, middle and finish. It was a great moment that only reinforced what we have a right to expect from these terroirs.
