Chateau Haut Marbuzet 2009: Glorious and will only get better

Yum

This was a wine of two parts. When first opened and sampled, rather later at night that it should have been, I was not particularly impressed.

I realised the next day, having given it a good airing in the decanter, just how damn good it is.

There's a lesson to learn: Never grab a bottle from the wine fridge late at night when friends come back for a final drink before overdue bedtime. Always take it from the rack (where the quaffing wine lives) rather than the 14 degree fridge!

It definitely needs an hour or two in the decanter, prefably longer I would guess, and should not be drunk when one has already ruined their palate, as I had when opening it.

Tasting it properly I found it very accessible for the commune. Silky was the word that came to mind. But it had beautiful length and depth, and the finish is a good minute of wonderful pleasure. It's not like Ormes de Pez or any of the bigger, more minerally wines of Saint-Estephe. It's more like Montrose than Meyney for me.

Writers have scored it at 90-92. I would certainly agree. The pleasure is also in the anticipation of tasting wines like this when they have aged properly. This still be a stunner in 10-15-20 years. I can't wait. Right now its around £30-50 per bottle, depending on tax etc, and worth investing in as a drinker for years to come.

My bottle was from the Carrefour in Bordeaux, which is well worth a look if you are in the area and are looking for good value young St Estephe wines in the 20-30 Euros a bottle range. Their 2005 selection seemed particularly excellent for the prices.