Wor vintage: 1943 Château Margaux from a Newcastle cellar

The great English city of Newcastle is 280 miles north of London. 

It’s a long way to go for a bottle of wine – unless it’s something special.

As they say in Newcastle: Noo tha yoor heor at the toon yee might want te knaa a bit more aboot aad Margaux an stuff… 

This beautiful bottle of 1943 Château Margaux was acquired by Arden from a Newcastle auctioneer. 

There was a wartime shortage of chromium, which gives glass a deeper green colour. Chromium was used – with iron – to make stainless steel rather than wine bottles. So wartime bottles like this Margaux are a pale green-blue. 

From 1935 – when AOC was established – until 1952 Château Margaux had (unexpectedly, to modern eyes)“APPELLATION HAUT-MÉDOC CONTROLÉE” on the label. 

I don’t know why this was so but it’s correct and evidence of veracity – unlike the 1949 bottle that I called-out last year… 

The Tyne Bridge was opened in 1928. Arden also has available a half-bottle of Château Margaux 1928 to commemorate this important event.  

In the meantime: Hev a canny weekend!