Bordeaux Collector Wines

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This has both sinew and flesh, with taut dried red currant, blackberry and plum skin notes that are forced to expand outward as the core of black tea, charcoal, plum paste and dark humus fills in quickly behind them. The charcoal-tinged grip carries the finish, with more bass than treble at first, but there’s perfume here as well. Seriously long and the most overlooked of the truly great vintages here.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2025. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSMineral and blueberry skin and flowers on the nose. It’s full-bodied with minerals and silky tannins. Dusty and very pretty. Refined finish. I remember this being harder but it’s finally coming around.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 1988 Chateau Margaux is a wine that was always overshadowed by the succeeding pair of vintages and like many 1988s, appeared rather conservative and lacked flair. However, I was gobsmacked by the performance of this wine at 28 years of age. Deep and clean in color, the bouquet is quintessentially Chateau Margaux with blackberry, potpourri, cedar and violets. It has wonderful clarity. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh as a daisy on the entry with a killer line of acidity that offsets those vibrant black and red fruits. There is energy here, vivacity, as if this Château Margaux suddenly realized its true potential after all these years. While it does not possess the length of the 1989 or 1990, there is such pleasure bound into this wine that you care little about that. Maybe I underestimated this wine for many years or perhaps it is a simple case of a "late bloomer." While the 1988 might not belong in the top echelons of releases from this First Growth, it might be considered the undiscovered gem of that prosperous decade for the chateau. Tasted May 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 93 RP-NMThe 1988 Château Margaux is a wine that I have encountered three or four times, most recently in May 2016 when it shone. Now at 30-years old it is still a lovely mature First Growth that gives so much pleasure. The nose is complex and well defined with black fruit, potpourri, incense and cedar, unfolding all the time in the glass. The palate is fresh from the start thanks to the fine line of acidity. Interestingly, this ex-château bottles felt a little more mature than the one that I purchased from a UK cellar, a little more spice and quite ferrous towards the finish. Like many 1988s, it is a wine that belongs on the dinner table than being analyzed on its own, but it is still a very fine Château Margaux now probably at the peak of its maturity. Tasted at the château.Vinous Media | 92 VM

Very ripe for a second wine this is now delicious thanks to the rich blackberry and cassis fruit, full supple tannins and long finish that’s simultaneously dry and creamy. Where is that porterhouse steak? Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 95 JSThe estate’s second wine, the sexy 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux, offers lots of black raspberry, cedar and foresty/underbrush notes in its round, generous, full-bodied, seductive embrace of black fruits interwoven with floral notes results. This seamless second wine is one of the finest Chateau Margaux has made to date. Enjoy it over the next two decades.Robert Parker | 93 RPThe 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, cedar and light violet aromas, quite intense and graining power in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly powdery tannin. The acidity is very well judged, a completely harmonious Pavillon Rouge with just the right amount of spice to enhance the finish. Excellent. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMVery rich, dense, pushing great blackberry fruits and ripe tannins. As always on the level of a classed growth.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis is an absolutely killer combination of vibrant, plush red fruits and finely-wrought tannins that are still working hard on the silky-smooth palate. With vibrant edging to the colour and a gorgeous, mouthwatering finish, this is a near-perfect Pavillon - ready to enjoy now but will go long. Great stuff, and bodes well for the rest of the vintage in Margaux. Drinking Window 2019 - 2036.Decanter | 93 DECVery sleek, with a lovely winey edge to the plum, cassis and blackberry fruit, laced with roasted apple wood, lilac and singed iron notes. Tangy and lengthy, with ample depth, but also nearly approachable now. Best from 2013 through 2023.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Right now, at 20 years old, this wine is approaching its perfect drinking beginning - by which I mean it is now stepping up onto the plateau that the best wines get to, where you don’t need to worry about opening them immediately, but you can feel confident that you are going to be getting the best of them if you choose to do so. Although we didn’t taste the 2000 in this particular lineup, on recent openings it is a more muscular and closed down than the 2001, and will probably last longer, but this is just blindingly delicious right now. The descriptions that are most often associated with Château Margaux must surely be finessed tannins and floral aromatics, and you have both of them in spades, along with gentle roasted fruits of plum and blackberry, violet, cedar spice, liquorice and tobacco. The tannins are fine and full of pleasure. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 100% new oak. Drinking Window 2021 - 2038.Decanter | 97 DEC“For me, this vintage is what makes Margaux special,” says Margaux winemaker Paul Pontallier. He is right: With its denseness, spice, flavors of black currants layered with dryness and fresh acidity, this is a huge and impressive wine that never forgets that it is Margaux. It is still young, and the dry tannic aftertaste, which lasts for many minutes, shows this.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WESuave from the start, with beguiling tea, singed sandalwood and lilac notes backed by alluring, gently steeped red and black currant fruit. The long finish has an alder edge that stays in lockstep with the fruit, ending with a minerally echo.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030. 10,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2001 Chateau Margaux continues to evolve in impressive fashion. The nose feels sensual, veering towards red rather than black fruit, with disarming purity and perhaps showing more floral/violet character than the 1999. Both display tremendous precision and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied, edgy and tensile with crisp acidity, so fresh and vital in the mouth. Tasted next to the 1996 Château Margaux, it is clear to see that the 2001 is several steps behind, yet the way it fans out with such confidence and brio on the finish assures that this has a prosperous future. Tasted May 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMThe 2001 Château Margaux, last tasted five years previously, is slightly deeper in color compared with the 2001 Pavillon. Featuring black plum, raspberry and touches of orange peel, rose petal and light bay leaf aromas, the bouquet is not intense, but it is well defined and focused. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine-boned tannins and a taut line of acidity – a strict Château Margaux that doesn’t want to muck about. It’s little short on the finish, yet sophisticated and providing unadulterated buvabilité. Drinking perfectly now, and it will be enjoyable over the next 15–20 years.Vinous Media | 94 VMNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

This still broods seriously, with dark plum, currant and blackberry fruit, studded with charcoal, singed tobacco and cedar notes and backed by a serious grip of roasted earth. The gorgeously long finish is driven by old-school tannins, with the smoldering edge going on and on. A brick house of a Margaux, with more charcoal than graphite, more austerity than elegance and more power than refinement.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2034. 18,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSBottled very late (November, 1997), the 1995 has continued to flesh out, developing into one of the great classics made under the Mentzelopoulos regime. The color is opaque ruby/purple. The nose offers aromas of licorice and sweet smoky new oak intermixed with jammy black fruits, licorice, and minerals. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with extraordinary richness, fabulous equilibrium, and hefty tannin in the finish. In spite of its large size and youthfulness, this wine is user-friendly and accessible. This is a thrilling Margaux that will always be softer and more evolved than its broader-shouldered sibling, the 1996. How fascinating it will be to follow the evolution of both of these vintages over the next half century. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040.Robert Parker | 95 RPThe 1995 Château Margaux is a vintage perhaps unfairly over-shadowed by the imperious 1996. That is unfair because the late Paul Pontallier crafted a great First Growth this year. It has a very impressive, quintessential Margaux bouquet that is undimmed after 23 years: black fruit, graphite, crushed violets and a touch of tobacco. If anything it becomes more and more pure with aeration and demonstrates exquisite delineation. The palate is very finely balanced. No, it does not have the intensity, the crystalline nature of the 1996 and yet there is a femininity and a finesse here that sweeps you off your feet. It is entertaining the possibility of secondary flavours but it remains focused on the red and black fruit, tensile on the almost balletic finish. Bon vin! Tasted blind at Philip’s February Christmas Party.Vinous Media | 95 VM

It is worth noting that when the bottled 2006 Chateau Margaux, which appeared closed and less impressive than I had predicted from barrel, was retasted alongside the remarkable 2008, I elevated my score to 94+. It does not possess the size or power of the 2008 or 2005, but the 2006 exhibits impressive density, a deeper color, and the beautifully textured, pure style that is a hallmark of this estate. Moreover, it is relatively precocious, and can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP(Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) Plenty of tannins still in play, and it is dense, powerful and reserved even at 15 years old. The tertiary notes of cedar, charcoal and crushed mint are just hints at this point, with the purity of Cabernet Sauvignon’s cassis and bilberry fruits very much in the lead. First time that so little Merlot made it into the final blend, which no doubt also explains why the overall construction of the wine is so architectural and firm. Long drawn out finish, with higher acidity than the other wines in this lineup, with brilliant estate signature of precise peony and violet aromatics. You could begin drinking this with a long carafe beforehand, but it will still improve with another five years in bottle; and then go for decades. 100% new oak, 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. (Drink between 2023-2042)Decanter | 95 DECThis is not a big Château Margaux, its style showing more elegance and discretion. The tannins are soft, although producing a dense web that lies underneath the black currant and plum fruit flavors. It is a wine that envelops the mouth, an edge of firmness over velvet fruit textures. The wine floats away slowly on the close.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA sexy vintage of Margaux, this is heady and seductive right from the start. Floral strawberry and red currant flavors back the wine’s gentle sweetness, while floral acidity gives it a sting. Black tannins hint at more serious, long-term prospects, though much of the vintage may get drunk before it has a chance to reach any deeper, more essential terroir expression.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SGood deep red-ruby. Deep but reticent aromas of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, licorice and loam; I don’t find the typical floral high notes of Margaux. Juicy, fine-grained and suave, with good definition and a seamless, spherical texture to the currant and soil flavors. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins, but not the grip or power of earlier barrel samples of this wine.Vinous Media | 93 VMOn the taut, sinewy side, with cedar and sandalwood notes framing the core of red currant, bitter cherry and damson plum fruit. Offers a lovely singed feel through the finish, with a gentle perfumy edge. Despite the tannic profile of the vintage in general, this is all charm and hitting its stride now.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2022.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The other wine of the vintage. Seriously powerful with fabulous color and mint, cassis and berry aromas and flavors. Has a full body and is tannic; still needs time to come around. Better after 1997.--The Bordeaux 50.Wine Spectator | 95 WSIn weight and texture, the 1981 Margaux is closest in style to the 1979. It is an outstanding wine, even in the company of the monumental wines of 1982, 1983, and 1986, although it does not have the power and weight of these vintages. It is still very dark ruby/purple-colored. The aromatics suggest ripe cassis fruit, spicy vanillin oakiness, and violets. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, concentrated, tannic, and extremely long. It is just beginning to open and evolve. Anticipated maturity: Now-2015. Last tasted, 12/96.Robert Parker | 91 RP

Medium red-ruby. Confectionary aromas of raspberry, cocoa powder, mocha and sexy oak; more evolved than either the '99 or '98, even considering its extra year of age. Fat, sweet and harmonious; offers lovely balance but just misses out on the density and depth of a great year. Finishes with firm but very suave tannins; this must be one of the longest '97s.Vinous Media | 91 VMUndoubtedly a success for the vintage, this immensely charming, dark ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits floral, black currant, and smoky, toasty oak aromas. There is admirable richness, excellent ripeness, not a great deal of density, or superb concentration, but plenty of finesse, suppleness, and character. It can be drunk young, or cellared for 12-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPAll in finesse, with berry, currant and light vanilla character. Medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a fresh finish. Lovely, long finish. Gorgeous core of fruit in this wine. Drink now through 2004.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

If one of 2004’s enduring characteristics is its freshness, then Margaux epitomizes this. It is so deliciously fresh and floating, with great black currant and blueberry fruits, pointed up by spice, mint and a sense of elegance and poise. There’s no doubt about its aging potential either: just feel that heart of firm tannins.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WETasted from barrel in 2005, this wine showed the freshness of the vintage in its bright woodland-berry scent before settling into tannins that felt mineral, powerful and black. Directeur général Paul Pontallier commented at the time, "I consider this to be typical, absolutely, of Château Margaux." Two years on, the wine is definitively Margaux, from the fashionable scent of new oak, to the musculature and vinous strength of the fruit. The sweetness of the fraises des bois and plum seems improbable in the context of a completely dry, concentrated yet ethereal taste that doesn’t stop. The wine will taunt you with its delicate, silken power whether you drink it in ten, 20 or 30 years.Wine & Spirits | 96 W&SThe 2004 Chateau Margaux has always been a promising wine and here, served blind against the First Growths, it finally proved that patience is necessary when it comes to such wines. It has an exquisite bouquet with brilliant delineation, scents of redcurrant, raspberry coulis, cold stone (almost flint-like) with pencil-lead and cedar lending it a Pauillac-like sense of aristocratic flair. The palate is extremely well balanced with a supple opening, nigh perfect acidity with a surprisingly citric undercurrent that lends so much freshness and tension. While it does not have the weight and power of say, 2000, 2005 or 2009, it cruises along with utmost harmony and you become smitten by its charms - something that is perhaps in short supply among the First Growths in this vintage. This is excellent. Tasted September 2016.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 94 RP-NMBright red-ruby. Knockout nose features boysenberry, currant, cedar, graphite and mocha. Suave, gentle and sweet, already displaying ineffable inner-mouth perfume. The 17% merlot component injects a silky component, and the oak element adds a complementary sweetness. Complex, lush, horizontal finish saturates the mouth with flavor. It was not clear to me in April that the 2006 would exceed this-and it will certainly take longer to reach full maturity in bottle.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis is lovely, with enticing, velvety plum sauce, macerated red currant fruit, black tea and incense notes that have melded beautifully. This shows a lovely tug of earth at the very end, retaining some grip for further cellaring, despite being approachable now. A lovely wine.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDrinking beautifully, the 2004 Château Margaux (78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot) is all about elegance and finesse and has perfumed notes of sandalwood, dried flowers, and sweet red and black fruits all soaring from the glass. With medium body, a silky, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannin, and a great finish, it glides across the palate and is just a joy to drink. While it doesn’t have the weight or richness of a top vintage, it’s a beautiful expression of this estate. Drink it anytime over the coming 10-15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

I am breathless with the dark-berry, lavender and burnt-orange aromas. Some salt. Just so formidable and deep. Stunningly sexy on the palate with a density and power, yet it leaves things so clean and bright. You want to drink it and enjoy it now, but it has the structure to last forever. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 100 JSBottled relatively late in mid-September 2017, the 2015 Palmer is a blend of 44% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon with a small portion of Petit Verdot. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it offers vibrant red currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, earth and mineral characteristics to begin, with slowly unfurling floral notes of violets and dried roses plus compelling baker’s chocolate and fragrant earth layers. Medium to full-bodied, generously fruited and possessing firm yet very, very fine-grained, mind-blowingly ripe tannins, the multifaceted palate features something of a skip in its step in terms of freshness, while it goes beguilingly earthy on the finish with some mineral hints. Very classy, elegant and sophisticated, this vintage is downright regal in its juxtaposition between poise and audaciousness. Think 2005 Palmer with a tick more fruit intensity, perfume and passion.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPOne of the gems in Margaux is unquestionably the 2015 Palmer. Possessing more elegance and purity, as well as concentration, than the Alter Ego, it offers up a gorgeous bouquet of crème de cassis, caramelized cherries, charcoal, and graphite, with just a hint of spring flowers in the background. A final blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot that was brought up in 70% new oak, this full-bodied, ripe, incredibly polished 2015 is already hard to resist given its elegance and purity, yet should be at its best from 2023-2043. If you have more than one bottle, it’s sensational today as well.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDGenerous, rich and powerful, this is a sumptuous wine. With just a slight preponderance of Cabernet Sauvignon, it has structure as well as clean, clear black-currant flavors. Produced from biodynamically grown grapes, it delivers an explosion of fruit as well as serious tannins. Drink from 2027.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2015 Palmer has an outstanding bouquet featuring extraordinarily pure and intense scents of blackberry, cassis, cedar and pencil box, quite opulent but already irresistible. The supple, medium-bodied palate offers firm tannin, impressive weight and girth, and white pepper and sage toward the persistent finish. There is a lot of matter in this Margaux and it will require a decade to reach its drinking window. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Vinous Media | 97 VMSix months from the last time I tasted this wine and it is a little more closed than it was, as the 2015s begin to retreat inwards for a few years. Still no mistaking the quality of this vintage, and it remains a brilliant Palmer, that is equal to the greatest years. Still extremely young, with rich, deep textured fruits, tons of blueberry and raspberry fruits, all expressed with clarity and purity. Grilled cedar, liquorice and crushed stone minerality. Harvest September 22 to October 7. At this point the estate was fully in conversion for certification, working 100% organically and biodynamically. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECThis is dark and muscular in style, brimming with bramble, warm tar and paving stone notes that are matched by the deep layers of fig, blackberry and cassis fruit. A gorgeous bittersweet chocolate detail adds spine to the finish while violet and iron elements lurk in reserve. Another large wave of fruit and dark earth courses through the finish. Best from 2025 through 2045.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

The 1999 Château Margaux is an immensely charming wine that’s drinking beautifully today from both bottle and, in this case, magnum. Bursting with aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries and violets framed by subtle hints of cigar box, it’s medium to full-bodied, supple and sensual, with an enveloping core of fruit, ripe and melting tannins and a long, penetrating finish. Analogies with the immensely charming 1985 vintage are very persuasive, as the 1999 is quite reminiscent of how the 1985 tasted fifteen years ago.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPMedium ruby. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, Cuban tobacco and grilled nuts; a bit more red fruit in character than either the 2000 or the 2001. Silky, seamless and enveloping, but the wine’s excellent vinosity gives its creamy fruit very good definition. Consistent from start to finish. Tannins are substantial but fine, allowing the fruit and floral flavors to linger impressively. Along with Latour, an early candidate for the wine of the vintage.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis has a rather friendly, fleshy feel, with a plump core of crushed plum, currant and cherry notes out front, backed by bergamot, lilac and sandalwood accents. Not superdense, but with lovely mouthfeel and a balance that carries the finish gracefully. A beautiful wine in a vintage where most of the Médoc struggled.--Non-blind Château Margaux vertical (December 2013). Drink now through 2022. 16,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

There’s brightness and clarity to this young wine, with blackcurrants, violets, lavender and blackberries. Medium body with a sold core of fruit and a long, fresh finish. Fine tannins. Bright acidity. 56% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 41% cabernet sauvignon. From biodynamically grown grapes.James Suckling | 96-97 JSThe 2021 Palmer is a heady, showy wine. Clay-rich soils yield a Margaux of breadth, power and textural richness. Black cherry, lavender, mocha and dried herbs infuse the 2021 with tons of character. A wine of density and intensity, this is seriously impressive. It is also going to need time to fully blossom. There’s real juiciness from the Merlot, and an exotic quality that suggests it was picked on the later side. The 2021 spent one year in barrel and one year in cask, as is the norm these days here.Vinous Media | 96 VMPerfumed chocolate cherries with bramble tones on the nose. This has a rich and round mouthfeel, clear structure on show but also with life and lift - a sweet, bright cherry element given definition by strict but fine tannins. You have a really beautiful, delicate opening, quite wide and airy then the depth arrives on the mid palate, with chalky tannins and red fruits coming into play before the spiced liquorice enters on the finish. The texture is striking, velvet-like with layers and a sublime verticality of freshness and minty aeration. It may be less glamourous and overtly plush and seductive than bigger previous vintages but I love the classicism on show - a focus, precision and sophistication. Superb winemaking from Thomas Duroux who successfully navigated the difficult vintage conditions in 2021.Decanter | 96 DECThe wine is dense with warm tannins supporting black fruit tones and acidity. Juicy and spicy, the wine’s Cabernet Sauvignon shows so well with black currant flavors. It is fresh and it obviously it will age well. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 2021 Palmer has turned out beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with expressive aromas of blackberries, cherries and mulberries mingled with notions of iris, dark chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with an enveloping core of succulent fruit framed by rich, sweet tannins, it concludes with a long, expansive finish. It’s a blend of 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThe Grand Vin 2021 Château Palmer checks in as 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot. The élevage here is unique in that the wine spends the first year in barrel (60% new) before having one-third moved into foudre for the following 6 months. The 2021 is an unquestionable success, revealing a dense purple hue as well as a powerful bouquet of ripe black and blue fruits supported by notes of tobacco, graphite, and chocolate. This medium to full-bodied Margaux has ripe, velvety tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length. It’s going to have plenty of up-front appeal yet still evolve for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDDeep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Palmer needs a little swirling and coaxing to unlock evocative plum preserves, black cherry compote, and star anise notes, followed by earthy nuances of tilled soil, black truffles, and cracked black pepper with a touch of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers beautifully soft, rounded tannins and lots of juicy fruit in the mid-palate, supported by harmonious acidity, finishing with beautiful purity and perfume. The blend is 56% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot. 65% of the crop will be aged new barriques for the first year, then transferred to foudres for the second year.The Wine Independent | 92-94+ TWIOffers an almost juicy edge, making this difficult vintage stand out from the pack while giving its core of black cherry and black currant some energy. Subtle alder, tobacco and warm earth accents underscore the finish. Shows a late mineral twang, with just a wisp of the vintage’s austerity. Serious kudos here. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2035. 7,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A Margaux with beautiful depth and grace and wonderfully well-placed, refined tannins, showing presence and a soft texture. They caress your palate. Full-bodied, yet tight and extremely long. Seamless. 87% cabernet franc, 8% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSI think the wine of the vintage is the 2021 Château Margaux, which comes from a miniscule selection of just 36% of the total production. The final blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all of which is resting in 100% new French oak. Reminding me slightly of a riper 1996, it has incredible purity in its ripe cassis and blueberry fruits as well as notes of liquid violets, spicy oak, graphite, and hints of sandalwood. As seamless as they come, medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and with ample Château Margaux purity and finesse, this brilliant juice is as good as it gets in the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 95-97 JDA dark nose, serious and a bit closed, though there is such complexity on the palate. You get the tannic feel in the mouth straight away, mouthfilling, ample, generous and chewy - these tannins have weight and density but are lifted by the bright, high-definition cherry, strawberry and raspberry acidity underneath keeping things vibrant and fresh with a sour cherry and stoney minerality on the finish. Exceptional balance and sculpting, this has energy but also poise. Sophisticated glamour in full force, svelte and suave - this is a wine that aims to please. Definitely one of the most thrilling and captivating wines of the vintage! 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 36% grand vin.Decanter | 97 DECThe wine has richness but its main attraction is the balance between acidity and the light touch that gives the wine great freshness. The touch of Cabernet Franc in the blend brings its own perfumed structure. This is a wine that, of course, will age but that will also give pleasure relatively quickly. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2021 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is a little closed and broody to start, with notions of tar, licorice, fertile loam, and truffles leading to a core of fresh blackcurrants, juicy blackberries, and black raspberries, plus a touch of iron ore. Medium-bodied, the palate has wonderful intensity with a firm, fine-grained texture and plenty of freshness to support the tightly knit black and red berry flavors, finishing with loads of energy and shimmer. The first wine represents 36% of the crop this year and it came in with a phenolic index (IPT) of 75.The Wine Independent | 95-97 TWIThe 2021 Château Margaux is creamy and supple, a classy Margaux with the volume turned down just a bit. Succulent dark cherry, red plum, spice and rose petal infuse the 2021 with layers of succulent depth. This is a quiet wine, but one that possesses notable richness for the year. Time in the glass brings out the aromatics, but this remains very much built on its fruit.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2021 Château Margaux saw a traditional élevage in new barrels, with bottling in July, and as readers will remember, it’s a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that benefited from late picking, appreciable percentages of saignée, and a strict selection. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, blueberries and raspberries mingled with hints of licorice, white flowers and charcoal, it’s medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a broad attack, lively purity and sweet structuring tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. It’s a classic that will richly reward bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP