Wine Notes
Drinking old wines is about tasting the gentle melding of mature flavours but it is also about history. 1945 therefore has everything. It was one of the very best vintages of the 20th century and, of course, comes with the historical background of the final days of the victories over Nazi Germany.
Vandermeulen bottlings were very good during this period. They tend to command a 30% or so discount from the chateau bottlings but we believe that this is solely because you don’t get the original label of the chateau. We therefore recommend them for value.
This wine should still be in fine fettle.
Producer Notes
The classic image of a Bordeaux chateau building is probably that of Chateau Margaux, considered the most elegant of the first growths. Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter was named after the Chateau and the 1945 vintage is apparently the tipple of choice for Batman. After the 1940s, Margaux went through something of a slump in quality to the extent that it was barely economically viable by the early 70s. Since then though, it has come back to its former form and is now back in its rightful place at the summit of wine. The blend is 75% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot and a little of the rest, and two other wines are made here: Pavillon Rouge, the second wine, and Pavillon Blanc, a small production 100% sauvignon dry white wine.
Vintage Notes
1945 was an exceptional, very long-lived vintage in Bordeaux
Other wines from Chateau Margaux
1985 Chateau Margaux: £550
1996 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux: £190
1999 Chateau Margaux: £490
2000 Chateau Margaux: £1250
2000 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux: £240
2001 (150cl): £930
2003 Chateau Margaux: £600
2004 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux: £280
2004 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux: £180
2005 Chateau Margaux: £840
2008 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux: £170
2009 Chateau Margaux: £865
2010 Chateau Margaux: £775
2011 Chateau Margaux: £480
2015 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux: £200
2016 Chateau Margaux: £710
2019 Chateau Margaux: £840
Our rating –