Château Margaux

1945 Château Margaux: a bottle with excellent ullage (form a Whisky auction!), bottled by Cruse & Fils: a colour of pale red with a thin orange rim.  A bouquet of cassis, mushrooms, forest soil, and after more  exposure to air a rich berry fruitiness emerges and takes over, resulting is a magnificent bouquet.  In the mouth there were blackberries, cassis, a rich earthiness with high acidity and lots of tannins but nuanced nonetheless.  After about thirty minutes in the glass all the acid and tannin is overwhelmed by a surge of a jammy fruitiness of forest berries; as if a basket full of mashed berries has been poured over it.  Fresh blackcurrants, hints of strawberries, later hints of cherries; and all this is smooth and rich but not heavy.  It might not pack a punch like the 1945 Château Mouton, but it is of a rich and sublime fruity elegance, with a finish of 40 seconds.  Ir is clearly past its peak, bit not that much. Give it 1/2h in the glass and in the bottle and an hour before serving. A stunner but also a late developer, initially a bit underwhelming, which needed a bit of time and oxygenation to develop its amazing and unexpectedly magnificent potential.  4.5/5