The 1979 Magdelaine is a good, solid bottle of wine that is fully mature, and while it has a few flaws, it offers up enough complexity and compelling elements to make it a more than respectable drink (if not a great Magdelaine). The bouquet is mature and complex, as it offers up notes of red cherries, blood orange, tobacco, walnuts, a bit of chutney, a brilliant base of limestone and just a touch of off-putting, petrol aromas. On the palate the wine is medium- bodied, bright and tangy, with little in reserve at the core, but still good length and grip on the tangy and complex finish. Actually, other than the rather out of place note of petrol on the nose, this is a pretty fine middleweight.