2015 CHÂTEAU MARGAUX 1er Cru Classé, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU MARGAUX

2018 1er Cru Classé

Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Margaux
Classification 1er Cru Classé
ABV 13%

90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Around 10% of the estate was hit by mildew in 2018 but the Grand Vin parcels were more resistant and yield was still around 31hl/ha. That's despite some very small Cabernet grapes with a low ratio of highly concentrated juice. The small berries are probably why this is a very powerful Margaux full of deep, intense dark fruit. There is a huge amount of tannin too but you barely feel it. They are just so fine and polished. Despite the evident concentration, this still has a real Margaux feel. It's all wrapped in that fine mineral casing and has that unmistakable glide across the palate. It's incredibly tightly wound for now but this has all the ingredients of a great Margaux. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 L&S (Apr 2019)


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The 2018 Château Margaux was observed over a period of 24 hours. I used the word "luxurious" to describe the nose when I encountered this First Growth from barrel, and it’s still apt to use now the wine is in bottle. It just blossoms over time, revealing gorgeous blackberry, raspberry, crushed violet and peony, and hints of shucked oyster shells, all delivered with the precision one expects from a first-division Claret. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, still as silky-smooth as ever, offering blood-orange-infused black fruit that is crystalline on the finish. You almost miss the structure behind this Château Margaux that should ensure it will age over the next three or four decades. Utterly sublime. Drinking range: 2026 - 2060 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 Margaux is an infant. Today, the tannins are unusually searing, but then again, the 2018 is a wine in which all the elements are dialed up to the maximum. Time in the glass releases the fruit, revealing a luxurious, opulent Château Margaux built for the cellar. Cedar, tobacco, dried flowers and mint develop with a bit of coaxing. Rich, deep and utterly beguiling, the 2018 is a dramatic wine that will thrill readers lucky enough to own it. Drinking range: 2028 - 2058 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

So much ash, tobacco and earth to the bright blackberry and currant aromas. Flowers too. Fresh. Full-bodied with seamless tannins that spread across your palate and caress every square centimeter. It’s shows loads of ripe-berry, cherry, currant and chocolate character, as well as walnut and light cedar. Then the finish goes on for minutes . Extremely refined and elegant, despite the structure. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 4% merlto and 2% petit verdot. A joy to taste, but drink after 2025. Rating: 100 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

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.

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