Château Margaux - Margaux 2005

Vinous

99 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe11/15/2015

From the moment it is opened, the 2005 Margaux takes things to another level. The bouquet alone is breathtaking in its beauty. Bright, delineated but also explosive, the 2005 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The flavors are vibrant and focused, with gorgeous lift and precision. The 2005 is a riveting, aristocratic Margaux that will drink well for several decades. Today the flavors are still remarkably youthful. The wine drinks well because of its magnificent balance, but readers who prefer more aromatic and flavor complexity will want to wait for at least another five years. No matter how you look at it, the 2005 Margaux is pure magic.
Drink 2020 - 2055.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe6/30/2015

The 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. (98+)

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe2/9/2015

Dark blueish crimson. Really perfumed and Margaux-ish. Quite marked acidity on the front palate but very delicate and pretty. With the light tannins just muscling in on the finish. Much more transparent and less dense than other first growths in this vintage. Fresh and lively but a little atypically light for the vintage. 

La Revue du Vin de France

19,5 / 20

the10/20/2014

Il impressionne dès les premiers effluves au nez, avec un fruit superbe. Sa bouche explosive libère des flots de fruits et de tanins mûrs qui, conjugués à une définition exemplaire, en font, 2009 et 2010 exceptés, le plus grand vin de l'ère moderne du château.

Wine Advocate

100 / 100

byNeal Martinthe6/16/2009

Tasted single blind at Southwold. The crystalline nose here is primal, backward, takes some coaxing from the glass: blackberry, bilberry, briary, graphite and a spellbinding sense of mineralité. The palate is beautifully balanced with svelte tannins. Touches of sandalwood inflecting the pure fruit, deftly integrated new oak; incredible length once again. Despite the vice-like grip on the finish there is a feminine quality to this wine. Quite simply: it takes your breath away. Perfection. Drink 2015-2040+ Tasted January 2009.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

98 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

(bottled late, in November of 2007) Saturated red-ruby. Explosive aromas of plum, raspberry, bitter chocolate, coffee, almond paste and smoke; this smells voluptuous. Then extraordinarily opulent on the palate, with an almost marzipan-like ripeness. Coats every square millimeter of the mouth with a texture of liquid silk. The baby fat here is incredible, but there's a structure of steel and powerful minerality underneath. One of the longest samples I tasted in Bordeaux this spring, and a wine with uncanny finishing sweetness. This fabulous vintage of Margaux should evolve positively in bottle for three or four decades in a cold cellar. 98(+?)

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/7/2008

Another celestial effort from Paul Pontallier and Corinne Mentzelopoulus, the 2005 Margaux, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, boasts a dense opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, creme de cassis, licorice, and, despite its having spent two years in 100% new wood, only a subtle touch of toasty oak. Although full-bodied, the wine seems light on its feet because of the silky tannins as well as the great gravel terroir from which it comes. Beautiful purity, length, and nobility define this modern day classic. Is it better than the 2000, 1996, 1990, or some of the vintages from the decade of the eighties? Who knows, but it is unquestionably one of the all-time great wines made at Chateau Margaux. This estate has produced only exceptional wines over the last three decades. The seamlessness of the 2005 suggests it will perform well early, but it should last for a half century or more. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2050+.

Wine Spectator

100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/22/2008

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe2/6/2008

Dichtes Granat-Purpur mit violettem Schimmer. Heisse und etwas alkoholische Nase (wie bei einem grossem Prioratwein), viel Rosinen, frische Brotkrustentöne, tendenziell eher rotbeerig mit kräutrigen Thymian- und Minzenoten. Im GAumen recht masive Adstringenz mit körnigen, monsterhaften Tanninen. Ein Margaux mit kaum abschätzbarem Alterungspotenzial.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/4/2007

A fabulous effort, the dense purple-tinged 2005 Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot) possesses an ethereal lightness reminiscent of the 1996 Margaux and 2005 Lafite-Rothschild. Beautiful aromas of flowers as well as blue and black fruits, silky tannin, full-bodied power, laser-like precision, and superb purity and length are found in this wine of extraordinary integrity and class. While it is one of the few 2005 first-growths that will be approachable within a decade, it should prove to be uncommonly long-lived (even by Bordeaux standards), lasting 50-60+ years.

Wine Advocate

96-100 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/1/2006

This is another superb vintage from this grand dame estate. Administrator Paul Pontallier has overseen the production of so many great Margaux, it is senseless to say 2005 is better than all its predecessors, but it is an extraordinary effort. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, it is a gorgeously pure, intense, deep purple/ruby-tinged effort offering exquisite, surprisingly nuanced and complex aromatics for such a young Chateau Margaux. The mouthfeel is one of opulence, silk, purity, full-bodied concentration, terrific intensity, unbelievable freshness and vibrancy, and sweet tannin. The tannin levels are the highest ever measured at this estate, but the alcohol is only around 13%, not particularly high by this vintage’s standards. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare. This powerful effort is built along the lines of the 1996, but is seemingly even more impressive, layered, and potentially grand. It is a candidate for 50+ years of evolution. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2060+.

Wine Spectator

95-100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/28/2006

Unbelievable nose already. Incredible complexity of aromas, from wild raspberries to flowers and fresh mushrooms. Violets, currants. Love it. Full-bodied, with ultrarefined tannins. Long, long finish. It lasts for minutes on the palate. A wine with classic beauty. May well be 100 points. —J.S.