2002 Malescot St. Exupéry
France
Margaux Grand Cru Classé
Bordeaux
Red
Bordeaux Blend
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Jean-Luc Zuger wanted to disabuse me of the possible notion that producers in the Margaux appellation brought in thoroughly ripe fruit in 2004. "We didn't finish the harvest until October 23 and we still had some pink grapes," he told me. "Most of our neighbors picked too early." Zuger used a bit of reverse osmosis for some of his cabernet sauvignon, but not for the merlot, which was already sufficiently rich in sugar. As in past vintages, part of the malolactic fermentation took place in barriques, and Zuger will continue to stir the lees until May.
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Jean-Luc Zuger has truly pushed the envelope in 2003, picking extremely ripe fruit, including the estate's merlot, at the very end of September. Some of the lots had pHs as high as 4.2 and the blend when I tasted it was "at least" 3.9, with the alcohol at least 13.5%. No cold maceration was necessary in 2003, and the cuvaison, though five days shorter than usual, still lasted from 25 to 30 days for the estate's various lots. As in recent vintages, the malolactic fermentation took place in barriques The wine, dangerously, was on its lees at the time of my visit (it was scheduled to be racked at the end of April), with batonnage being carried out regularly. The estate was keeping a close watch on bacteria levels. That said, the sample I tasted offered extraordinary sweetness and thickness; I felt as if I were tasting the Pavie of the Margaux appellation.
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The index of polyphenols was extremely high in 2002, according to Jean-Luc Zuger, but the tannins were very ripe, thanks to two passes through the vineyards to drop crop, plus leaf-pulling. After having eliminated less-than-perfect grapes on sorting tables before and after destemming, the estate had production of just 27 hectoliters per hectare. The 2002 is aging on its lees in 100% new oak, with the lees getting a weekly stirring (batonnage became routine here with the 1998 vintage).