Holding together well and remains tannic and firm. Although the vintage generally is somewhat overlooked, Château Margaux has always been counted among the most successful wines. This bottle has started showing a brick hue at the rim, and the bouquet announces mature aromas, including tobacco, smoke, gunflint and leather. There is little primary fruit, yet the wine is still surprisingly substantial and long. It is drinking well now and should hold for another few years, but the ideal time to consume this is soon approaching. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2045
Tasted by: Charles Curtis MW (at Geneva, 19 Jul 2023)
Part of Château Margaux vertical: 1928-2010

Tasted at the Amuse Bouche offline in Hong Kong. Thank you to Gautam for proffering this splendid magnum, the larger format showing how it can age in more superior fashion to a bottle. Of course, this was the vintage that saw the First Growth exit the doldrums. It has a classic, crisp, well-defined bouquet with fresh tobacco, undergrowth, dried flowers and minerals, still full of vigour and joy. The palate is beautifully balanced with very fine tannins and a fresh thread of acidity that goes from start to finish. Given the vintage then yes, it is a little foursquare and it lacks the chutzpah of the 1983. But for pure drinking pleasure, this 1978 ticks all the boxes. Tasted November 2011.

The 1978 Chateau Margaux is a significant wine for two reasons: that is was the first under the Mentzelopoulos family after acquiring the property and also, it was their best wine in many years. Today it is still going strong. Clear in color, it has quite a deep garnet core. The nose is very seductive with black fruit, leather, scorched earth, a hint of lavender all beautifully defined and quintessentially Margaux. The medium-bodied palate has exquisite balance, the acidity nicely judged, still a little masculine and "solid" compared to the subsequent vintages under Paul Pontallier, yet fresh and vital. Sure, there is a grittiness and a touch of rusticity towards the finish, but all in all, this represents a great 1978 Left Bank and a signpost that the First Growth was back on the right track after a dismal run of vintages during the 1970s. Tasted May 2016. (Neal Martin)

Although the 1978 is a more powerful, fuller-bodied style of Margaux, it is less charming and fruity than the 1979. The 1978's nose has moved from one of ripe fruit and spicy oak, to tarry, truffle, earthy aromas that come across as slightly too masculine and meaty. Nevertheless, this is a rich, full-bodied, concentrated Margaux that only suffers in comparison with the great vintages produced under the Mentzelopoulos regime. Some of its rusticity may be due to tannins that were not totally ripe during the harvest. In any event, it remains one of the few great wines from the 1978 vintage. While I initially thought it would be fully mature within two decades of the vintage, it could still benefit from another 3-4 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2020. Last tasted 12/96

This drapes wonderfully from the start, as the slightly rugged charcoal backdrop has softened and the dried black currant and mulled blackberry fruit has melded into notes of menthol, pain d'épices and bittersweet cocoa. The structure is dusty and decidedly old-school in feel, with a lingering woodsy, smoky, autumnal accent.—Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2020.

Magnum Looks very deep crimson. Very deep and glowing. Mature rim. Smells much more than four years older than the 1982. Fully developed bouquet – maybe the bottles are starting to get a little tired? Acidity sticks out a little. Dry tannins and absolutely ready, fresh. Super fragrant but a little tough in terms of texture. Much less concentrated than many other younger vintages but very respectable. They started to pick this vintage, rescued by a late summer as in 2007, from 9 Oct. (JR)