NA
2029 - 2069
Is the 2019 Château 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.
Philippe Bascaules—who served as directeur de l'exploitation under Paul Pontaillier between 1990 and 2011—took the reins at Château Margaux in early 2017, and he and his team have crafted one of the qualitative pinnacles of the 2019 vintage. Meticulously maintained vineyards, situated on the appellation's finest terroirs, are farmed intelligently, without deleafing or green harvesting—something other producers increasingly emulate as they pull back from the excesses of the early 2000s. Cabernet Sauvignon is on the increase, both in terms of plantings and as a percentage of the blend (it represents fully 90% of the grand vin in 2019), which works perfectly with Margaux's soils and the estate's elegant but concentrated style. Winemaking is very traditional, with classical macerations and an 18-month élevage in new oak (most barrels are produced in-house) punctuated by six rackings and one egg-white fining. An in-house bottling line is being acquired to bring even greater control and flexibility. Natural cork is the oder of the day for the reds, of course, but whites now see Diam 30 to ensure consistent evolution, and all are bottled in Margaux's new proprietary extra-dark glass bottle.
