critic reviews
From my own cellar, the 1996 Clos du Marquis has sometimes been a wine that I have respected more than I have liked, yet in the last year, it appears to have undergone a transformation into a much more generous wine. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cherries, cassis, mint and sweet soil tones, my most recent bottle was medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit, supple tannins and a long, saline finish. If this trend continues, the 1996 is liable to displace the 1985 as my favorite mature vintage of Clos du Marquis.
Deep ruby-red. Plum and roasted nuts on the nose. Large-scaled, vinous and deep; thick fruit is given clarity by sound acidity. Very long and subtle on the finish, with serious but harmonious tannins. An outstanding second label, as good as most classified growths from St. Julien.