1975 Magdelaine

Still evolving at a glacial pace, Magdelaine's 1975 remains a promising spicy, mineral-laden, muscular wine with plenty of extract, as well as a high level of tannin. The wine exhibits a dark garnet color with some amber at the edge. The nose offers up smoky, earthy aromas intermixed with plenty of sweet, highly extracted black fruits (particularly cherries). In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied and powerful, with some astringent tannin noticeable in the finish. The wine leaves a hefty impression on the palate, particularly for the normally elegant, stylish Magdelaine, and will benefit from another 2-3 years of cellaring. I doubt that the tannin will ever fully dissipate, but this is an impressive, somewhat old style Bordeaux. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted 10/96 Jan 1998, www.robertparker.com