CHÂTEAU MARGAUX
2017 1er Cru Classé
89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 35hl/ha. The Château used some fairly hefty selection to weed out the undesirable fruit. It was difficult to pin down the main problem but presumably the late summer rains did have an impact here. All that selection seems to have done the trick because, while it doesn't quite have the power of 2015 or the poise of 2016, there is excellent concentration and intensity of fruit. The tannins are also beautifully ripe and there is an elegant balance to the very long finish. This is a triumph considering the environmental challenges of the vintage and testament to the outstanding quality of this terroir. Drinking range: 2028 - 2045L&S (Apr 2018)
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One of the clear highlights on the Left Bank, the 2017 Margaux is magnificent. Soaring in intensity, the 2017 exudes class from the very first taste. Margaux is so often a wine of charm and seduction, but the 2017 is anything but that. Instead, Margaux is dark, somber and mysterious, with layers of sepia-toned nuance that opens up with time in the glass. Cabernet Sauvignon, picked 5 days later than first anticipated, is especially prominent. The 2017 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is a super-promising wine. Wow. Drinking range: 2027 - 2057 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)
The 2017 Château Margaux, bottled in June/July 2019, has a classic aromatic profile for this First Growth: blackcurrant leaf, raspberry, cold black tea and pressed iris rather than violet petals this time. It is well defined, if not as intense as the 2016 as you would expect. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fine acidity, quite saline in the mouth with superb precision on the elegant finish. This is one of the most approachable Château Margaux that I can remember, less opulent than out of barrel and supremely refined. Drinking range: 2024 - 2055 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2020)
10% of Ch Margaux's red vines were affected by the frost. This grand vin represented 37% of the harvest – higher than last year's 28%. Blend of 8% Merlot, 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Deep glowing crimson. Pure, very dark cassis fruit. Fragrant and lightly floral too. And the fruit smells sweet, the oak so subtle. Intense without being flamboyant. Firm, smooth, chocolate-textured. Creamy and rich and supple on the long finish. Depth of fruit, both red and black on the mid palate. Well sustained.The tannins are powerful but hidden by the lovely fruit. Succulent even though well structured. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Château Margaux charges from the gate with opulent kirsch, raspberry preserves, wild blueberries and cassis notions accented by roses, violets, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth with touches of underbrush and truffles. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with vibrant, ripe red and blue fruits, layering in perfume and spice nuances. It's framed by very finely grained and plush yet firm tannins and great tension, finishing with epic length. Rating: 96-98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)
Wow! This makes the whole room smile. The stunning nose hits you right off the bat, followed by wonderful fleshy damson fruit. This has some of the best aromatics in the business this year and a wonderful creamy texture through the palate. There's great density, and the tannins flatter it but they have menace and intent too, pulling the structure inwards and bouncing along to finish beautifully. This is more opulent than the Pavillon, which has some clear austerity, and the scale of the fruit is a little fresher than the 2015, with around the same ripeness level as the 2016. The 3.7pH is a little higher than the last two years, while an IPT of 73 is the same as last year. 37% of production went into the grand vin, including a 1% drop of Petit Verdot. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)
Compared to 1996 by winemaker Philippe Bascaules and from only 37% of the total production, the 2017 Château Margaux is unquestionably in the top 2 to 3 wines of the vintage, and it’s certainly the wine of the vintage in Margaux. Boasting a deep purple color as well as an awesome bouquet of cassis, blueberries, smoked herbs, graphite, and crushed flower, it builds incrementally on the palate and is full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and layered. It has surprising ripeness, yet like all the wines from this estate, it stays vibrant and fresh, with plenty of tannin. While most Margaux in 2017 seem to have a charming upfront style, this backward, concentrated beauty will need at least 5-6 years or bottle age. Rating: 95-97 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
This is a very dense Margaux, and especially for the vintage, with a full body, grainy tannins and a long and rich finish. Impressive depth of fruit and structure. Luscious and muscular at the same time. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
This year the grand vin takes 37% of the crop, compared to just 28% last year. There was 10% loss of harvest to the frost here, despite the team having sprayed water to try to protect the vines. The picking started really quite early, the first young Merlot being picked on September 12th, but it continued on until October 5th. The blend is dominated by 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, rounded out with 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The IPT is 73. An impressive nose, very convincing, showing sweet and pure blackcurrant, damson and black cherry fruit on the nose, more plush and willing to please than I expected, wrapped in a little toasty oak. The palate shows a very pure and focused composition, with creamed, concentrated fruit profile matching the aromatics, with very finessed tannins, supple and very tightly grained, almost imperceptible in themselves, but lending a broad velvety grip to the middle. It feels very restrained and elegant, with a fresh acid lift, and a vanilla flower and peony perfume. The finish is substantial in terms of its tannic presence, being long, grippy and poised. This is a very impressive effort in what has been an otherwise difficult vintage for this appellation. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
Château Margaux
1855 classification - Premier Grand Cru Classé Margaux, originally La Mothe de Margaux, has a long history dating back to at least the 12th Century. By the 17th Century, Margaux was widely recognised for the quality of their wines - in 1771 Château Margaux was the first wine sold by Christies, and Thomas Jefferson bought some Margaux when he was Ambassador to France. The French Revolution was a turbulent time for Margaux but, by the turn of the 19th Century, the estate was in the hands of the Basque Marquis de la Colonilla who's singular contribution was to build the château that we see today. Margaux's reputation was recognised by the 1855 classification which placed it among the elite group of Premier Grand Cru Classés. By the 1960's, however, Margaux was trading as much on reputation as anything else and a run of poor vintages in the 1970's led Margaux to be sold. This was its salvation, for the purchaser was André Mentzelpoulos who, despite some rumblings of discontent locally at such a grand property falling into "foreign" hands, poured in investment, replanting the vineyards, building a new underground cellar and renovating the château. Also more than renovated was Margaux's reputation as one of Bordeaux's leading estates, a reputation it now richly deserves, still under the benevolent eye of the Mentzelpoulos family. After 43 years, Alexis, supported by his sister Alexandra, has taken over from his mother Corrine. Alexis state he is "firmly committed to continuing the family objective of making Château Margaux one of the greatest wines in the world." Château Margaux is a large estate, running to nearly 265ha, although under vine there are only 82ha. For red wines the vines are 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot with smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Wines are fermented and aged in barrels made at Margaux's own cooperage, the reds spending up to two years in wood. The second wine of the estate is Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux which has been produced since the 19th Century, making it among the longest established of such wines. Château Margaux also produce a very successful white wine - Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux - 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged in wood for six months. This is classified as AOC Bordeaux as there is no appellation for white Margaux.