Margaux Wines

wines

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

The 1998 Palmer showed extremely well. Featuring blackberry, cedar and a touch of black olive on the nose, this has evolved a little since I last tasted it, yet it remains wonderfully defined. The palate is supple and concentrated, with touches of clove and black pepper infusing the black fruit, and gentle grip on the finish. I might actually afford this another year in bottle, but it probably represents good value vis-à-vis other vintages.Vinous Media | 94 VMA classic Margaux, the 1998 Palmer has put on weight and fleshed out during its elevage in barrel. It displays a dense purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of black fruits, licorice, melted asphalt, pain grille, and a touch of acacia flowers. Full-bodied, with brilliant definition, this blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dollop of Petit Verdot, will age well for 20-30 years. It is one of the Medoc’s, as well as the Margaux appellation’s finest wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2028.Robert Parker | 91 RPMushroom, spice, earth and berry character on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft tannins and meaty, berry and cèpe flavors. Tannins are still a little angular. Give it a little time.--’88/’98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Wonderful aromatics of walnut, leather, soft truffles, touches of cloves, this is a perfect wine for the winter months. The high acidity maintains freshness and backbone but there is a definite tertiary feel at this point with autumnal raspberry and blackberry fruits. It's gentle and welcoming with the elegant edge that Issan does so well. Feels like an old friend and practically begs you to stop what you are doing and open a book. A yield of 36hl/ha. 50% new oak. Drinking Window 2020 - 2034.Decanter | 94 DECFully mature, the 2000 D’Issan is a quintessentially elegant, yet concentrated, aristocratic Margaux that defines the appellation. The wine has a dark ruby/purple color just beginning to lighten at the edge. Notes of charcoal, acacia flowers, black raspberries, and blue fruits are followed by a medium to full-bodied wine that builds incrementally on the palate. With its outstanding purity, richness, elegance and length, this is a beauty that has reached its window of maturity, where it should stay for another 15 or more years.Robert Parker | 93 RPChâteau d’Issan produced a very good wine in the 2000 vintage, but it is still several years away from starting to blossom and drink with generosity. The deep and still quite primary nose delivers scents of cassis, tar, herb tones, cigar smoke, coffee bean and a bit of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and potentially complex, with a rock solid core, firm tannins, very good focus and a long, youthfully muscular and chewy finish. Like a great many examples of the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux, this wine is completely hunkered down at the present time and is a bit sullen, but it should prove to be very good with sufficient bottle age. Just how much charm it will eventually deliver is still an open question, but that is a question that really should be asked of the vintage in general! Drink between 2020-2060.John Gilman | 92 JGNo written reviews provided | 92 W&S

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 2000 tasting in London. An open-knit, more leathery nose than its peers, touches of mulberry, dried orange peel, graphite and even a tang of marmalade. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, masculine and dense, real backbone again here, a wine in for the long-haul. Blackberry, allspice, hoi sin and a touch of white pepper towards the long but bashful finish. This needs another 5-6 years but it is finally realizing the promise it showed in barrel Drink 2015-2030. Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP-NM(31.5 g/l dry extract; 13.4% alcohol): Deep ruby to the rim; much darker than both the 2001 and the 2003. Notes of milk chocolate, underbrush and cedar complicate the ripe red cherry and dark plum aromas. Enters sweet, dense and tactile, displaying ripe dark fruit, tobacco, porcini and mineral flavors of noteworthy precision and cut thanks to harmonious acidity. Finishes sweet, spicy, smooth and very long; once again, du Tertre comes across as remarkably fresh and focused in a hot vintage.Vinous Media | 92 VMLoads of tobacco and prune character. Rich and decadent. Full body with velvety tannins and a juicy, delicious finish. Just opening now. Improving with age.James Suckling | 91 JS

Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-colored 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years. A sleeper of the vintage, it is still available for a realistic price.Robert Parker | 92 RPThis is very perfumed, with mushrooms, berries, and even strawberries. Full and round on the palate with soft tannins and lovely sweet finish. This is very long and balanced, but still needs time. Just starting to open up now, but give it a couple of years. Pull the cork in 2012.James Suckling | 92 JSThis is a big, powerful, firm wine, with a top layer of ripe, glamorous fruit flavors. Blackcurrant jelly fruits are shot through with ripe acidity and soft tannins. It should develop relatively fast, but then last well.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA touch more advanced than the rest of the pack, with beautiful singed alder and juniper notes starting to lead the way while the core of lightly steeped black currant and fig fruit notes is simmering nicely with subtle charcoal and loam elements. Stylish bay-infused finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 27,500 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis is a big, rich style of wine with a deep inner core of colour and fruit that is almost on the overripe side. The extraction seems a little more pushed, the tannins chunky and slightly chewy on the finish. That said, there’s still an innate freshness and gourmand nature to the wine. It will appeal to those that prefer a plusher style, less so those that have a more classic leaning. Drinking Window 2021 - 2028.Decanter | 91 DECThe 2000 Giscours is a vintage that I last tasted at the 20th-anniversary vertical in 2015. It has a lovely nose, not powerful, but pure and less rustic than some of the others tasted, offering red plum and cedar (as I have noted on previous bottles) and hints of fig jam and black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and just a splash of balsamic infusing the red fruit. It lacks a little length and feels a bit compact on the finish, but there is ample freshness and tension. Decanting would benefit this millennial. Fine.Vinous Media | 90 VM

The first of a succession of brilliant wines that have emerged from this previously moribund estate over the last decade, the fully mature 2000 Lascombes is an outstanding effort. Notes of cedarwood, roasted herbs, incense, black cherries, and currants emerge from this medium-bodied, evolved Margaux. Consume it over the next 7-8 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPBright, deep ruby. Sappy aromas of blackberry, violet and espresso. Slightly medicinal but sweet flavors of boysenberry and blackberry. Has a firm spine. This will ultimately merit a score at the higher end of my range if the slightly gritty tannins are refined during elevage Under the direction of Alain Raynaud, the new American owners of this huge chateau did a strict selection of the best barrels for their 2000 grand vin.Vinous Media | 87-90 VM

Tasted from magnum, the 2000 Château Margaux is a prodigious, flawless wine that shows the elegance and seductive hallmark of the estate paired with incredible density, depth, and richness. Its still-ruby/purple color is followed by sensational notes of crème de cassis, spring flowers, lead pencil, and sandalwood that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, opulent, and seamless, with a multi-dimensional, layered texture, it has a massive mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s drinking brilliantly today, and there’s certainly no need to delay gratification, but it’s going to continue evolving for another 3-4 decades. Bordeaux (or red wine, for that matter) doesn’t get any better. The 2000 is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot brought up new barrels.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDAbsolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The color remains a healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry either.Robert Parker | 100 RPThe 2000 Margaux kicked off a string of great wines. The aromas are spellbinding, with notes of raspberry and strawberry. The palate is incredibly silky yet structured. Impeccable balance.James Suckling | 100 JSViolet and iris aromatics curling out of the glass, starting to reach their full expression at 20 years old. Beautifully finessed and elegant, with hints of black truffle, cloves and rich blackberry fruits, this is a vintage that showcases the best of Margaux. It took its time to reach this point but it has been worth the wait, and the wine just gets better and better over a few hours in the glass. Highlights the success of the partnership between owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos and director Paul Pontantallier, with this château delivering some of the most memorable wines of the turn of the century years in Bordeaux. Drinking Window 2020 - 2050.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2000 Château Margaux has always been one of the stars of the millennial vintage. A dozen or so bottles over the years, starting with my first encounter from bottle with the late Paul Pontallier, have never disappointed. Philippe Bascaule did not decant this bottle, although it does deserve an hour’s aeration before serving. Deep in color with little aging on the rim, it has a very intense bouquet, sophisticated and almost aloof. Oddly, it reminds me of the 2000 Latour in its sense of aristocracy and breeding. The palate is medium-bodied with gorgeous, rounded, pliant tannins that frame the multilayered red fruit. Always a Margaux with considerable backbone, the 2000 has mellowed in recent years, though it has lost none of its complexity or ethereal balance. There is substance but not sinew, and the silky-smooth finish fans out gloriously. A brilliant Château Margaux from beginning to end. It’s difficult to find fault with this magnificent wine.Vinous Media | 99 VMNo written review provided. | 98 W&SThis continues to be a jaw-dropper, with beguiling lapsang souchong tea, singed sandalwood and fresh bay leaf aromas slowly wending along, while the core of pure cassis, raspberry reduction and warmed fig notes sits on a throne of perfectly embedded charcoal and tar-laced tannins. And with all the heft, there’s a beautifully long iron note to give the finish cut and elegance. Just dreamy.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2040.Wine Spectator | 98 WS

A typical Palmer showing finesse alongside strength. I love the blackberry, plum, chocolate and cedar character. It’s very long and beautiful. The velvety, textured tannins are impressive.James Suckling | 97 JSThis has turned out to be a prodigious Palmer. The saturated purple color offers up sexy, full-bodied, almost masculine notes of roasted meats, blackberries, and creme de cassis intermixed with notions of toast, smoke, and camphor. Only 50% of the production made it into the 2000, a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. The wine is opulent, rich, and full-bodied, with tannin that has become sweeter with age. Its best showing yet, most importantly, has been from bottle. This is a great Palmer that should rival the best of recent vintages, which have all been stunning, as this estate continues to go from strength to strength. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2030.Robert Parker | 96 RPStill tight, with a core of black currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors that is quite youthful, while hints of dried anise, tobacco and singed alder are starting to peek through on the finish. There’s a really vibrant iron note cutting through the finish too. Hold off for now.--Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Best from 2018 through 2028.Wine Spectator | 96 WSNow at 20 years old, and absolutely singing, after a sometimes frustratingly slow start to its life. The tannins are ripe but rich and still broad-shouldered, and it will probably still show at its best with a good plate of food to draw out the mouthwatering acidities. Dense, powerful, complex, with a menthol-laced finish, no signs of going anywhere yet. No Petit Verdot in the blend in this vintage, because the then director Bouteiller didn’t feel it was adding to the overall balance achieved by the already rich and concentrated Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvest September 21 to October 7. Drinking Window 2020 - 2043.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2000 Palmer is a very different “beast” than the 2001, and I use that word intentionally. This is much more feral on the nose, and quite ferrous, presenting leather and dried herbs, smudged red berry fruit, and a hint of fig that emerges with time. The brettanomyces sticks out a bit here. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannins and good density, very earthy in style and certainly more evolved than the succeeding vintage, yet you cannot help falling for its charms. It evolves wonderfully in the glass, actually closing in a little toward the finish, and suggesting that contrary to what the nose suggests, it will repay further cellaring. Excellent.Vinous Media | 94 VMAt this stage, this is very closed, very tight, giving little. But it is possible to discern that this is going to be a beautiful wine. There are flavors of sweet raisins and the fruit has a new world richness, but the structure of dry tannins is always present. It looks as though it has a good, long life.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

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

Alder and cedar aromas waft up from the core here, giving this a perfumed, incense-accented edge, while the silky but substantial structure lets the gently mulled plum, black currant and cherry flavors glide through. Shows a sanguine tang at the very end, displaying latent grip for further evolution.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 94 WSAs the 1983 surprised many people for its success compared to 1982, so too is the 2001 Palmer, outgunning the 2000 on many of my recent tastings. I would not bet on it lasting as long as the 2000, but this is still young right now, with firm, still-muscular tannins and deep cassis fruits. An enjoyably balanced and subtle wine filled with charcoal and woodsmoke. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2001 Palmer is a vintage that I have tasted several times, though Thomas Duroux lamented that he has very few bottles left at the property. The lovely bouquet of red berry fruit, dark chocolate, star anise and light iodine aromas gently unfolds from the glass, displaying a little more complexity than the 2001 Château Margaux that I tasted the same day. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular opening and a little ferrous in style, secondary notes percolating through the carapace of primary fruit. Tea leaves, allspice and black pepper define what feels like quite a robust finish, lacking the elegance that Palmer exhibits nowadays. Still, this is an excellent 2001 that probably deserves another 2–3 years in the cellar.Vinous Media | 93 VMAs with so many other wines from the 2001 vintage, this Palmer is classic Margaux. It has delicacy and elegance, but it also packs power, concentration and dark, dry flavors. Intense and concentrated, the richness of the high proportion of Merlot in Palmer’s blend shows through, while the Cabernet Sauvignon gives a fresh lift at the end.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WENo written review provided. | 93 W&SA virile, muscular effort for this estate, the 2001 Palmer (a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot) exhibits a saturated purple color to the rim. Although closed and backward, it is surprisingly powerful, layered, and formidably endowed, revealing hints of charcoal, black fruits, earth, and underbrush. There is a lot going on in this offering, but it needs 5-7 years of cellaring to resolve its high tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.Robert Parker | 90 RP

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2002 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between October 1 and 15. There remains that almost Pomerol-like personality on the nose, quite perfumed and floral with sage and burnt toast scents tincturing the dark berry fruit. With continued aeration, there is a just a hint of rooibos. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite ferrous in the mouth and lightly spiced. It does not deliver the same precision as the 2001, although there is decent length here. It does not offer great length, but for the vintage, this should be considered a modest success. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMI like the mineral and blackberry aromas in this wine. Medium- to full-bodied, with a fresh acidity and tannin structure. This is solid and tight. Needs bottle age. Best after 2008. 23,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Performing better from bottle than at any time in cask (which of course is the objective of great winemaking, isn’t it?), this wine reveals a dense ruby/purple color in a style somewhat reminiscent of the 1988 but with more power, concentration, and volume. It has a beautifully elegant nose of black fruits intermixed with truffle, flower, and oak. The wine is medium to full-bodied, dense, with wonderful precision, freshness, and a long, full-bodied finish with impressive levels of concentration. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.Robert Parker | 93 RPBright, deep red. Classic aromas of boysenberry, black cherry, minerals and lead pencil. Then juicy and penetrating, with cabernet-dominated berry and mineral flavors (there’s a very low 8% merlot in the blend). Finishes with very firm, youthfully tough tannins that will require a good decade of patience. Quite tight today and difficult to assess. "We had a gorgeous September, but it came too late for the merlot," said Pontallier.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThis is beautiful on the nose with currants, berries and flowers. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and pretty fruit. Needs a bit more fruit on the midpalate to be a classic Margaux, but clearly outstanding. Best after 2007.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

A successful wine for the vintage, this blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot boasts complex notes of menthol, black currants, plums, licorice, and a hint of cappuccino in its stunning aromatics. Dense, medium to full-bodied, with high levels of tannin in a big, full-bodied style (much in the spirit of such classic Bordeaux vintages as 1966, 1986, and 1996), this wine possesses superb purity and serious length, but should be purchased only by those with considerable patience and a good, cold cellar, since it will need plenty of time. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.Robert Parker | 94 RPRich aromas of vanilla, chocolate and berry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with ultrafine tannins and a long, silky finish. Very fine indeed. Palmer shows power with finesse here. Best after 2007. 8,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGood bright ruby-red. Sweet, penetrating aromas of raspberry, currant, flowers and sweet oak. Tight today but not hard, with burnished oak notes sweetening the dark berry and floral flavors. Finishes long and firmly tannic, with cabernet-dominated floral and minty notes.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

This was the finest performance by this wine that I have seen since it was released. I did not expect the 2003 Chateau Margaux to show this well in a vintage where the southern part of the Medoc was clearly less impressive than the north. However, it is a beautiful, dark plum/purple-tinged effort with sensational aromatics, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a youthfulness, precision and freshness that belie what one generally associates with this vintage. It can be drunk now and over the next 15-20 years. Kudos to Chateau Margaux.Robert Parker | 98 RPA wine with spices, meat, and very ripe fruit on the nose, with hints of dried flowers. Full bodied, and deeply layered, with loads of fruit and spices. Long and decadent, very complex. Pull the cork after 2013. Find the wine.James Suckling | 97 JSFull, saturated red-ruby. Knockout nose combines redcurrant, tropical chocolate, leather, woodsmoke and nutty oak with exotic chocolate mint and coffee liqueur; still manages to retain floral lift even in this beastly vintage. Then wonderfully fat, sweet and full, even if it comes across as almost heavy following the ineffable 2005 and 2004 examples. But "relatively inelegant" for Margaux still suggests a degree of refinement that few chateaux can match in the greatest vintages. A hugely rich and dense wine that finishes with elevated but ripe tannins and great length, with a subtle suggestion of dry spices. Pontallier says the terroir will take over in 20 years, "like with the ’82." Splendid.Vinous Media | 96 VMThis may be from the exceptional vintage of 2003, but Château Margaux remains true to form. First and foremost, it is a refined, elegant wine, with complex layers of flavors. But, yes, the hot summer is there the dense, dry tannins, but somehow they seem to float through the wine rather than sitting heavily in the middle. Acidity and freshness come to finish, giving the wine a delicious lift. Imported by Diageo Chateau & Estates.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEShows a note of torrefaction typical of the vintage, but uses it to its advantage, coupling it with accents of ganache and dark tobacco leaf along with rich plum, currant and fig compote flavors. The finish is slightly firm, with alder and plum skin details, but this has pretty impressive composure considering the vintage.-Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2035. 10,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSNo written review provided. | 93 W&S

91–93 A rounded, soft-tannined ripe wine, which shows traces of black currant jelly as well as good acidity. It is attractive, layering sweetness with good, ripe fruit.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

A smooth, delicious wine. The fruit flavors go right through this ripe, complex wine, leaving the tannins and wood as supporting acts. As with so many 2004s, the aftertaste is fresh, with great acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA big, smoky, tapenade, plum, black currant, and spring flower-scented nose is followed by a medium to full-bodied, textured, layered wine with sweet tannin, low acidity, and impressive concentration as well as depth. This is a gorgeous, hedonistic yet complex Margaux to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is very fresh and firm with really beautiful chocolate, walnut and berry character on the nose and palate. Full body with chewy yet polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Subtle and fine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSA solid red, with blackberry, plum and light cedar aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing aftertaste. All together here. Best after 2008. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Another brilliant effort from this estate, the 2004 Lascombes (a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot) exhibits a deep blue/purple hue along with a sweet perfume of blueberries, black raspberries, cherries, incense, smoke, and spring flowers. While opulent, underneath the full-bodied richness of fruit and depth is a structured wine. As it sits in the glass, an espresso roast character (no doubt from new oak) also emerges. Enjoy this pure, structured, fleshy beauty between 2010-2025.Robert Parker | 93 RPGood bright ruby. Wild aromas and flavors of blackberry, coffee, mocha, chocolate and game. Sweet, dense and lush but with plenty of acidity giving the wine shape and structure. Quite concentrated for 2004: offers a very broad mouth feel without coming across as heavy. Finishes with horizontal, toothcoating tannins. An impressive showing.Vinous Media | 91 VMLascombes was an underperformer for years, and now the new owners are making up for lost time with no expense spared on consultants and new oak. This young wine is massive and powerful, yet for several days there was little apparent fruit to back it up. Eventually, the oak relented and plummy fruit along with mineral tannins began to show. All dressed up, but there is substance behind it if you’re patient.Wine and Spirits | 90 W&S

Aromas of currant and blackberry, with hints of mineral. Full-bodied, with big, velvety tannins and a long, long finish. A powerful wine with lots of character. Needs age to mellow the tannins. Best after 2012. 1,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis beautiful Margaux offers expressive notes of spring flowers, licorice, incense, and sweet blackberries and currants. Supple-textured with a savory, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, silky tannin, and beautiful purity, it is a lovely effort that should drink well young yet keep for 12-15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPGood medium ruby. Pure aromas of blackberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Sweet, pliant and fleshy, with a fairly high pH feel for a Medoc wine from this vintage. But the black fruit flavors are nonetheless juicy. Finishes with rich tannins that dust the entire palate. Contrary to popular belief, owner Philippe Forgeron has made this wine since 2001; Muriel Thunevin was responsible for the 1999 and 2000 vintages.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

This stunning wine is one of the vintage’s great successes. Administrator Thomas Duroux has fashioned a modern day version of Palmer’s brilliant 1966. Displaying a rare combination of power and elegance, this dense purple-colored offering exhibits notes of blackberries, truffles, flowers, incense, and camphor. Long, classic, and medium to full-bodied with stunning texture and richness, this superb effort is a candidate for the finest Margaux of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2025+. Robert Parker | 94 RPWell-integrated tannins and the first stirrings of tertiary flavours. Not quite ready to drink, but the rich swirl of blackberry, soft cedar and autumnal hedgerow is already clear. This is a slightly more traditional take on Margaux than recent vintages of Palmer, but it has a glorious sense of earthy pleasure. From the first year that Thomas Duroux arrived at the estate, though he did not get involved in winemaking until the 2005 vintage. Drinking Window 2019 - 2030.Decanter | 93 DECThis wine hits the opulent end of the spectrum, with its dense, velvet structure, and superrich fruit. But it is not weighed down with this richness, because the pure fruit, the fine lines of the tannins and the very precise character of the vanilla from the wood all give liveliness.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEDeep red. Rich aromas of plum, redcurrant, chocolate and smoke. Sweet, lush and smooth, with a wonderfully fine-grained texture for the year. Highly expressive flavors of currant, cedar, chocolate and tobacco. The wine’s subtle sweetness, suave tannins and sneaky persistence convey an impression of very regular ripeness.Vinous Media | 92 VMAromas of licorice, tar and mineral follow through to a full-bodied palate, with silky tannins and a medium finish. A very pretty wine already. Falls a little short, but still outstanding. Best after 2009. 6,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS(Château Palmer) The 2004 Palmer is one of my favorite wines of the vintage that I have sampled from the couple dozen various châteaux that I have crossed paths with here in New York from the ’04 vintage. The wine is deep and nicely structured, but not overly extracted or inky (as is unfortunately the case with so many examples I have tasted of ’04 claret), as it offers up a stylish nose of cassis, black cherries, tobacco leaf, soil tones and a deft framing of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, focused and beautifully balanced, with firm, but well-integrated tannins, and lovely length and grip on the finish. A very stylish middleweight in the making. (Drink between 2014-2035)John Gilman | 90 JG

Wonderful balance of fruit with currant and chocolate character. Full body with integrated tannins and a clean finish. Polished and refined. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSThis attractive deep ruby/plum/purple wine is supple, with notes of loamy soil, earth, underbrush and black and red currants. Very fragrant and medium-bodied, with relatively sweet tannin, this wine should continue to drink well for another 10-15+ years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe 2005 du Tertre is a bold, savory wine, as it so often is. Game, scorched earth, licorice, tobacco and dried herbs give this dark, virile Margaux much of its distinctive personality. The 2005 has aged well. I would prefer to drink it over the next handful of years, before the fruit fully fades, even though there is enough density to allow for aging beyond that. Structurally, du Tertre is a bit lighter than most Margaux in 2005.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A joyous Lascombes, this is the first vintage to hit stride since the US investment firm Colony Capital took over in 2001. It’s a meaty wine draped in fragrant tannin, built for long aging. It’s also an exuberant wine, in both the bright, red currant-scented fruit and the bristle of the tannin. A playfully complex flavor lasts for minutes, the wine still youthful and fresh four days after it was opened. Margaux chic.Wine & Spirits | 94 W&SDark in color, with an impressive nose of licorice, toasty oak, chocolate and blackberry. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and structured. Best after 2012. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(52% cabernet sauvignon, 45% merlot and 3% petit verdot) Good bright ruby. Blueberry and licorice on the nose, lifted by spicy oak. Chewy, lush and dense, but with a sappy quality giving shape to the fruit. Very tactile, solid wine with a saline quality suggesting energetic extraction. But this offers impressive mouth coverage and finishes broad and long, with nicely restrained sweetness. Wait until 2011.Vinous Media | 89-92 VMLascombes is approaching the form its status as a second growth suggests. This wine is close, packed with dark fruits, figs and juicy black currant extract. The aftertaste has some bitterness, with layers of toast and spice coming through strongly.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don’t touch this until after 2015.James Suckling | 100 JSIn two recent tastings the 2005 Château Margaux has been nothing less than magnificent. A wine of stunning perfume and inner sweetness, the 2005 gradually opens to reveal layers of red-toned fruit intermingled with floral accents. It’s as if all the classic Margaux signatures have been amped up in a huge way. Dehydration on the vine concentrated the fruit, but also the impression of tannin and acid, such that the 2005 retains huge fruit density along with plenty of brightness as well. Vibrant and beautifully layered, the 2005 Grand Vin is off the charts and easily one of the wines of the vintage. Readers who own it or can find it are in for a real treat. Tasted two times.Antonio Galloni | 99 AGThe first-growth 2005 Château Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45+ seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5-10 years and last at least 25 or more years.Robert Parker | 98+ RP(Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, Red) This extraordinary wine announces its brilliance at first glance, with a bright curranty fruit aromas that expand quietly at first until one realizes the depth of concentration and flavour it possesses, with exotic spices, smoke, leather, and earth. The blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, aged in new casks, produces a silky texture, perfect balance, and enough substance to give fantastic length without any heaviness. This wine was a unanimous favourite in the flight. (Drink between 2021-2040)Decanter | 98 DECFor a Château Margaux, this is an especially rich wine. The dense fruit, superripe but not overpowering, and the blackberry jam flavors show the richness of the year. There is wood alongside the juiciness and sweet tannins. Of course, it will age, but it’s so delicious to drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEStill very tight, but there are whispers of alder, bay leaf, tobacco and singed sandalwood aromas here. They give way to a beautifully silky and refined, but extremely concentrated, core of cassis and blackberry fruit that has gained a lightly mulled hint. The long finish shows echoes of dark earth and iron that bring you back for more. A beauty, with a long way to go.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Best from 2025 through 2045. 10,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSAn extravagantly ripe vintage of Margaux, this has the first-growth scent of a wine at home in its new oak. The texture is succulent and generous, the aromas bright with floral tones and sweet fruit, a taste of fresh strawberries and blackberries macerated in liqueur. This is a beautiful wine, and it may reveal more of its structural power with time. Diageo Château & Estate Wines, NYWine & Spirits | 94 W&S

A smooth wine with vanilla wood flavors. The fruit is almost incidental at the moment, but it's black and firm enough, and with its juicy character the wine should come through well.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WEDelivers aromas of raspberry, blackberry and coffee. Full-bodied, soft and caressing, with pretty ripe fruit and a lovely balance of ripe tannins, toasty oak and ripe fruit. Friendlier than the 2000. Best after 2011. Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Its bigger sister, the 2005 Château Palmer (53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot), is one of the great efforts of this superlative vintage. Floral notes mixed with blackberry, cassis, plum, licorice and spring flowers soar from the glass of this dense ruby/purple wine. It is medium to full-bodied, surprisingly opulent (it has a big percentage of Merlot), long, multi-dimensional and textured. This wonderfully pure, stunning wine once again performs as a first-growth. It should drink well for the next 20-25 years.Robert Parker | 98 RPThe 2005 Palmer has been absolutely magical both times I have tasted it recently. Still wonderfully deep to the core, the 2005 is dense, packed to the core and luxuriously opulent. Even with all of that intensity, the 2005 remains vibrant. Lush red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender and sweet spice build into the towering finish. The 2005 is an epic wine that will have no problem reaching its fiftieth birthday. It is a rich, dramatic Margaux that checks all the boxes, and then some. I rated a second bottle even higher.Antonio Galloni | 98 AGThe 2005 was the first vintage where Thomas Duroux was in charge from beginning to end, having worked alongside his predecessor Bertrand Bouteiller on most of the 2004. Another great vintage in this all-star line-up, and the one that perhaps had the most exuberant sunny expression in the early years, although now at 15 years of age the tertiary aromatics are just starting to arrive, along with hints of earthiness and a savoury cassis fruit character as the Cabernet Sauvignon continues to dominate. There is a gentle truffled edging to the colour also, but the tannic frame is very much in play, and still cradling the fruit. A great wine that walks the tightrope between young and old Palmer, and between the welcome of a generous vintage and the natural elegance of a great Palmer. Harvest September 22 to October 7. Drinking Window 2020 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECNo written review provided | 96 W&SAromas of black tar, chocolate and berries lead to a wine that is so effortlessly delicious that it’s easy to forget the power the Merlot gives it. The center is round, but dark, filled with sweetness; the outer layers are full of red jelly and toast. There are tannins, but they, too, are sweet.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEWhat a nose of milk chocolate, with raspberries and hints of plums and flowers. A wonderful nose. Full-bodied, with super velvety tannins and a chocolate, nut, and dark fruit character on the palate. The fine tannins and great balance make you want to drink this, but you should wait and let it all out. Pull the cork in 2016.James Suckling | 94 JSFeatures a bright flash of bay leaf and savory out front, with streak of tobacco and cedar amid the relatively open core of black cherry and black currant fruit. The long finish has a terrific iron note ringing through. Among the more approachable of this group, but no less serious.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2030. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Significantly better from bottle than it was from barrel, the 2005 Rauzan-Gassies appears to be the finest wine this estate has ever produced. Dense purple-hued with a beautiful perfume of camphor, creme de cassis, licorice, bay leaf, and incense, it is a full-bodied, stunningly concentrated, broad, rich Margaux with lovely integrated tannins. This backward 2005 will handsomely repay cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030+.Robert Parker | 92 RPSolid, dry tannins, very firm and hard, but they are also ripe. The wine has high extraction, very dark fruit flavors, but resists being too huge. This could well turn out to be a very elegant wine.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEAll boats rise in a vintage like 2005, and the notoriously sleepy second Rauzan-Gassies turned out to be one of the surprises at our tasting. It starts with a dark scent of tobacco and then cassis pours out of the middle of the wine. At first, the fruit seems a little weak in the finish, but the center feels lush and silken and, with air, the pebbly tannins extend a sleek plummy flavor. You'll get more from the super-seconds, but this is a fine wine on its own terms.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S