My experience with the sublime 1998 Magdelaine is exactly the opposite of yours, Tom. Perfectly balanced, this Magdelaine already delivers all extra layers of complexity one can expect from a perfectly matured claret. This is a wine of total subtlety and finesse and by no means a primary baby - seamless, extraordinary elegant, medium-bodied, pure, precise and mineral rich, with a striking aromatic presence, silky tannins and an extraordinary length.
Thanks all for the kind words. Rudi- I hear you, and FWIW I was surprised at how the 1998 performed earlier this year. It was great as expected- but did seem very primary. Note this was in a Magdelaine vertical- and so the differences between the wines were quite amplified in the mind. The danger here is that one can over-estimate the ultimate impact of those differences.
I actually have a lot of the 1998 and plan to follow it pretty closely to see how my prediction plays out. I certainly concede it looks very aggressive.
At Lafleur, from 1981-1984, Jean Claude Berrouet, who was responsible for overseeing the Moueix wines, especially Petrus, also oversaw the winemaking at Lafleur.
That changed in 1985 when Jacques Guinaudeau took over the estate.
Regarding 1998 Lafleur, while it has been 5 years since I last tasted it, I cannot imagine starting to drink the wine after its 50 years of age. While this is all quite subjective, very few wines are better at 50 than they were at 30. There are some, but not that many IMO.