The 1986 Château Margaux remains somewhat firm and forbidding as it closes in on its 40th birthday. Offering up aromas of cassis, cigar box and toasty new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and structured, with a sweet core of fruit that's framed, and almost overwhelmed, by an abundance of chalky tannin. I actually preferred this wine a decade ago, when its sheer abundance of fruit did a better job of balancing out its structuring elements.

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Popped and poured, because I wasn't sure if it needed (or indeed, would survive) decanting. Out of the bottle, the nose is a gorgeous, complex bouquet of cut summer flowers, ripe red berries, aged leather and shaded forest floor. Medium bodied, the fruit has a vibrancy and precision of a wine half its age, with layers of bright red fruit giving it an intense, uplifting finish. But this was just the first 15 minutes. Later, what remained was just a nice but somewhat muted old Bordeaux. Over the last 10 years or so, this wine has brought much pleasure. And this was the last bottle.

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