Tasting Notes
Vinous 97.5
The 2019 Château Margaux is slightly more low-key than its peers, but very precise. Crushed rocks infuse the black fruit, quite transparent and very terroir driven. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, and fine structure. Dense and weighty, with a sapid finish that doesn’t quite have same effortless ease as its peers. Maybe this is hiding something up its sleeve? (When its identity is revealed, the answer is affirmative.) Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2055
Robert Parker 100
Is the 2019 Chateau Margaux the wine of the vintage? A strong case in its favor could certainly be made. Soaring from the glass with aromas of blackberries, raspberries, rose petals, violets, pencil shavings and vine smoke, it’s full-bodied, layered and sensual, with a strikingly vibrant core of fruit that’s framed by ripe, powdery tannins and bright acids, concluding with a penetrating, mouthwateringly saline finish of almost interminable duration. Complex, elegant and utterly compelling, this is a brilliant Bordeaux that anyone with the requisite disposable income is going to want to own.
Anticipated maturity: 2029-2069
JancisRobinson.com 18.5
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 37% of the production. Barrel sample. Deep colour to the rim. Super fragrance, the aromas pure and persistent with typical Cabernet cassis and graphite notes. Rich and full across the palate but definitely more freshness than the Pavillon. Plentiful tannins provide the drive but absolutely no aggression. Aromatic freshness on the finish aids persistence and length. (JL)
Anticipated maturity: 2030-2050
