Learn everything about Chateau Malescasse Haut Medoc with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property and information on their vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Malecasse History, Overview
Chateau Malescasse was founded by the Renouil Family in 1824. The original owners held the estate for more than fifty years until selling the vineyard to the Pineguy family in 1887.
Like all Bordeaux estates, the property has had its up and down periods, with some owners having the funds to maintain the estate and its vineyards better than others. By the mid-1970s, the vineyards were barely planted and only 4 hectares of vines remained.
Things started to improve, albeit slightly for Chateau Malescasse by the mid-1990s when the Alcatel company purchased the property from Alfred Tesseron of Chateau Pontet Canet and his brother, Guy Tesseron of Chateau Lafon Rochet. The Alcatel Group was quite experienced in Bordeaux, as they already owned Chateau Gruaud Larose in Saint Julien. In 2012, Philippe Austruy purchased Chateau Malescasse.
This was not the first wine investment for Philippe Austruy, as he already owned a vineyard in Provence, La Commanderie Peyrassol.
One of the early moves made by Philippe Austruy after taking over the estate was to bring in the team of Stephane Derenoncourt to improve their wine-making and vineyard management.
In an effort to improve the reputation and quality of the wine being produced at the estate, they were one of the first Bordeaux chateaus to announce they were going to declassify their entire production from the 2013 harvest. It took a few years, but starting with the 2014 vintage, things have been on the upswing at Chateau Malescasse.
Chateau Malecasse Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The 40 hectare Left Bank vineyard of Chateau Malescasse is planted to 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. This shows a change in the vineyard with more Cabernet vines. The vineyard is one solid, unbroken parcel of vines. The terroir is gravel, clay, limestone, and sandy soils. The vines are old with an average vine age of 35 years.
The vineyard is located at about the midpoint between the Margaux appellation to the south. The St. Julien appellation is just to the north.
Their best parcels of vines are found on their land with the gravelly slopes. At their peak, the slopes rise to 30 meters.
To produce the wine of Chateau Malescasse, vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat. The wine is aged in about 40% new, French oak barrels for up to 14 months before bottling.
The best vintages of Chateau Malecasse are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2010, and 2009.
There is a second wine, La Closerie de Malescasse. The estate also produces a wine made from 100% Petit Verdot, Le Petit de Malescasse from a 1.27-hectare parcel of vines. On average, slightly less than 20,000 cases of wine are produced at Chateau Malescasse each year.
When to Drink Chateau Malescasse, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Malescasse, when young, can be decanted for an average of 90 minutes or so. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Chateau Malescasse is usually better with at least 2-4 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Malescasse offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 3-15 years of age after the vintage.
Serving and Decanting Chateau Malecasse with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Malecasse is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. The wine of Chateau Malecasse is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.
Chateau Malecasse is a perfect match with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta, as well as cheese.
Château Malescasse Wine Tasting Notes
14 Vintages 56,337 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2023
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Juicy, vibrant, forward, and fresh, the blackberries, strawberries, and currants, with their licorice, and tobacco edge are ripe, chewy, and vibrant. This is one of those top value Left Bank wines with character that sell for a song. Drink from 2027-2038. 90-92 Pts. 1,247 Views Tasted May 4, 2024 |
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2022
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Black currants, licorice, tobacco leaf and spearmint shine in the nose with no effort. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, soft, polished and vibrant, with chewy currants in the round, savory-edged finish. Drink from 2026-2040. 90-92 Pts. 2,223 Views Tasted May 8, 2023 |
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2021
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Plums, tobacco and cherries make their presence known from the start. The wine is open, forward, medium-bodied, bright, and chewy, with a touch of green olives, dusty cherries and mint that show in the finish. Drink from 2024-2033. 821 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2024Medium-bodied, bright, fresh, crisp, crunchy and savory, softly-textured, with a savory, olive edge to the finish. Drink from 2024-2038. 87-89 1,733 Views Tasted May 20, 2022 |
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2020
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Flowers, cigar box, currants, forest floor, smoke, espresso and cooking spice create the complex nose. On the palate, the wine is loaded with sweet, dark red berries with a hint of cocoa, soft-textures and freshness in the finish. Drink from 2024-2040. 1,461 Views Tasted Mar 21, 2023The wine is round, rich, fruity with loads of ripe, dark, fresh red fruits, soft tannins, hints of dark cocoa and flesh. 89-91 Pts 2,755 Views Tasted Aug 23, 2021 |
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2019
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Espresso, black cherry, smoke, licorice, plums and dark cherries create a complex nose. On the palate the wine is round, sweet, soft and polished, finishing with a nice sweetness to the dark red fruits with a touch of spice in the end note. This is a superb Bordeaux value wine that savvy consumers should take a serious look at. Drink from 2023-2034. 1,990 Views Tasted Mar 29, 2022Smoky, with touches of espresso, licorice, spice and red fruits, the wine is round, soft, polished and with loads of sweet, juicy fruits. When the oak is fully integrated, this will be a much better wine. 90-92 Pts 2,356 Views Tasted Jun 8, 2020 |
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2018
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
A clear contender for the best, Left Bank value wine made today, this beauty is elegant, fresh, soft, silky, polished, medium-bodied, fruity, ripe, sweet and already accessible. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. 2,914 Views Tasted Jul 27, 2021Dark in color, fat, round, lush, concentrated, sweet and rich in texture, with a long blast of deep red and black fruits, licorice and chocolate in the mid-palate and finish. Long, plush and loaded with character, this is a steal for the price. 1,580 Views Tasted Mar 9, 2021How did they make a wine this good here is what I asked myself. Inky in color, the wine is lush, rich, deep and fruity, The tannins are polished and the dark red berries, earthy tobacco and espresso carry through to the long plummy finish. This should be easy to drink on release or with just a year or two of age. Value seekers should take note of this wine. 91-93 Pts 2,558 Views Tasted Apr 19, 2019 |
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2017
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Soft, round and forward with espresso, cocoa and earthy black cherries on the nose and on the palate, the wine is soft with gentle tannins and a sweet, dark plummy finish. This should be easy to drink on release or with just a year or two of age. 4,008 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2018 |
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2016
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Fleshy, round, rich, ripe and juicy, with good character, this is the best vintage of Malescasse I have tasted. 2,953 Views Tasted Sep 21, 2019Best ever wine from Malescasse! With deep color and soft tannins, this wine is fleshy, fresh and satisfying, leaving you with a supple, round, sweet, dark plummy, fruity finish. 4,568 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 |
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2015
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Medium-bodied, round, and with a minty, leafy, spicy edge to the ripe, red fruits and thyme on the nose and palate, this is fully ready for its prime-time drinking window. Drink from 2022-2030. 3,194 Views Tasted Aug 23, 2022Medium bodied, early drinking soft textured well priced wine with fresh dark red fruits tobacco earth and spice in the finish. This has good character and it sells for a song! 88 - 90 Pts 4,285 Views Tasted Apr 26, 2016 |
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2014
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Soft, round open, easy drinking, crowd-pleasing charmer, with ripe, red fruits accompanied with licorice, smoke and tobacco leaf. This is going to be best over the next 6-8 years. 2,503 Views Tasted Feb 14, 2019 |
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2012
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Very little fruit here, most of what you find is olives, earth and earth, with a dash of crisp berries. Drink up, as it's not getting better from here. 3,024 Views Tasted Mar 4, 2017 |
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2010
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Medium bodied, early drinking quaffer with an earthy, dark red fruit character. 4,006 Views Tasted Sep 20, 2015 |
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2009
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Medium bodied, light in style, with a forward dark cherry character for early drinking. 3,524 Views Tasted Nov 24, 2015 |
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2005
Château Malescasse (Haut-Médoc)
Fully mature, the wine is medium bodied, with an earthy, tobacco, cassis, olive and blackberry character on the nose and palate. The dusty tannins are accompanied by bright, red fruits in the crisp finish. There is no reason to hold this wine any longer. 2,634 Views Tasted Sep 22, 2016 |
