CHÂTEAU MARGAUX
2025 1er Cru Classé
A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2025 Château Margaux is a deep, authoritative wine that represents some 37% of the estate's production this year. Unwinding in the glass with notes of dark berries, violets, lilac and pencil shavings, framed by a deft touch of new oak, it's medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins and lively acids. This will certainly require some patience, but it is a prodigious Château Margaux in the making. It checks in at 13.8% alcohol and a pH of 3.72. Rating: 97-100 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2026)
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
More dense and yet more soft than the Pavillon Rouge, fully anchored in place and yet rising through the palate, with rose petals, pomegranate, cassis and damson fruits, so juicy and full of character, slate and crushed rocks, peony and iris, with volume that is expansive and striking. These guys held on to harvest after the rains and have been rewarded for it - can't have been easy as everyone was picking around them, but this was a great decision that shows just what was capable in this vintage. 22hl/ha yield across the vineyard, harvest September 8 for young Merlot, then Cabernet Sauvignon began September 19 and finished September 29. 14% press wine, so a little less than usual because of the natural concentration. 22hl/ha yield across the vineyard, IPT81,3.76ph. 37% 1st wine. I don't give 100 points En Primeur, but if I did, this would get it. It's a slam dunk. Drinking range: 2036 - 2055 Rating: 98-100 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Apr 2026)
The 2025 Château Margaux is a wine that rewards patience. Tasting with Blandine de Rouffignac, the estate's lead oenologist, it was fascinating to hear how sugar ripeness raced ahead of phenolic ripeness by mid-August. Thankfully, cooler conditions at the end of the month bought valuable time, and the team resisted any temptation to rush. Confident in the health of the fruit, they waited for full ripeness before harvesting. That patience is evident in the glass. The wine combines remarkable concentration with an effortless sense of freshness. The fruit is beautifully ripe and abundant, with crunchy cassis, hints of peony and a touch of damp pot pourri adding aromatic complexity. Beneath it all runs a cool crushed-rock minerality that gives the wine energy and direction. The density here is striking, yet nothing feels heavy. Instead, the wine seems to gather momentum across the palate before a cool breeze of freshness carries it through the long, vibrant finish. A complete and deeply impressive Château Margaux, combining power, precision and grace in equal measure.L&S (Apr 2026)
The 2025 Château Margaux was picked at 22 hl/ha between 10 and 29 September. This year it represents 37% of the total crop, a little down on recent vintages, and was matured in 100% new oak as usual. The first thing that you notice on this Château Margaux is the purity of fruit, a signature of the First Growth but taken to its maximum in this vintage. Perfumed blueberry, crushed violet and iris flower, a touch of iodine and a distant trace of the estuary. Wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannins, fine delineation and poise. There is backbone to this Margaux but it is disguised under the layers of pure blackberry and blueberry fruit, dovetailing into a lightly spiced but very persistent finish. It fans out wonderfully, completing a very alluring wine in the making. This vintage contains 13.8% alcohol. Drinking range: 2035 - 2065 Rating: 96-98 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2026)
The texture of this wine is exceptional, with black currant, dark plum, chocolate and orange blossom aromas. Full-bodied with round and creamy tannins that fill the mouth and give a caressing texture. Very long and seductive. Gentle at the end. It's lush, velvety and luxurious. 89% cabernet sauvignon, 6% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Rating: 98-99 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2026)
The 2025 Château Margaux is shaping up to be one of the wines of this young vintage. Dark and layered, almost mysterious in bearing, the 2025 is going to have a lot to say over the coming decades as it grows up. Today, its superb persistence and exceptional balance are the harbingers. Here, too, there's a ton of tannin, but also more than enough fruit and overall density to keep things in balance. Drinking range: 2035 - 2075 Rating: 97-99 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2026)
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.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £17.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2025 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2028. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. Many properties specify a standard case format, and may make additional charges for six-bottle cases, for example. We offer wood cases of six bottles as standard where these are available without extra charge, but we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. If you want six-bottle cases where a 12 bottle case is offered, please check for the extra case charge. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£20.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£10.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£50.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£70.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2028. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.