Château Margaux - Margaux 2015

Jeb DUNNUCK

100 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Jamessuckling.com

100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe6/30/2016

The Margaux is the Wine of the Vintage. But I have been saying that from the beginning after tasting about 800 barrel samples in March. I have read many others have said the same thing, particularly British wine trade members. The purity of fruit and depth of ultra-fine tannins makes the Margaux a sublime wine. And it seems even better at the moment as the wine takes on weight, structure and center in barrel in the winery’s cellars. The perfectly ripened tannins in the wine and polished texture are so fantastic that you almost want to drink it now. But you know that it has such an amazing future as a young Bordeaux.  Aurélien Valance of Château Margaux said that everyone at the château believes its 2015 is, indeed, one of its best wines ever. He explained what was exceptional about the year, which included the early flowering and how hot weather after kept the berries small. The cool August also gave the grapes a special ripening and tannin quality. He also said that the winery’s new addition to the winemaking facilities (designed by Britain’s architect guru Norman Foster) gave an added value to the vintage. They could further ferment and select by vineyard parcels, more than 80 in total. “It was precision, precision, precision,” he said.  He added, "But as Paul (the late technical director of the estate) always said, sometimes you can’t explain why a wine is so great.” Château Margaux Margaux: Wow. The aromas are so wonderful with a purity of cabernet fruit that also gives a floral undertone of roses. The texture and purity of fruit is sublime. The tannins are perfect. So much tannic concentration yet so polished and refined. It’s gentle with superfine tannins. It is seamless and endless. Ethereal. It floats on the palate. 100 points. 

Vinifera

5 / 5

the5/31/2016

Nez superbe, finement mentholé, sur le cèdre, les baies rouges. Corps dense, élancé, au rythme allègre et aérien. Superbe tannicité et finale d’une grande longueur. C’est un aristocrate taillé pour la longue garde. Il est particulièrement émouvant de déguster cette grande réussite à l’heure où l’on porte en terre le directeur de Château Margaux, Paul Pontallier, décédé prématurément à l’âge de soixante ans des suites d’un cancer foudroyant. Durant les 43 ans qu’il aura passés à Margaux, cet homme d’une grande compétence, aura représenté avec élégance et humanité l’esprit du Château Margaux.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/30/2016

The color of a blood red ruby, this wine makes a powerful opening statement. On the nose, the luscious inhale as the door to the flower shop opens, a row of Spanish cedar cigar boxes still filled with a stash of Cohiba, the not-too-sweet aromatics of cherry pipe tobacco -- all combined with cherries, licorice, forest floor, creamy espresso and blackberry liqueur. On the palate, the wine melts into a buttery wealth of fresh fruit, gratifying tannins and a finish that saunters, taking it’s time to linger close to 60 seconds while slowly expanding at the same time. Rich without being heavy, this wine is aristocratic and refined. This is the quintessential example of Chateau Margaux at its best. This wine is deceptively easy to taste, and if it puts on weight during the aging period, which it probably will, it should hit triple digits.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2016

The 2015 Château Margaux is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, all together representing 35% of the total production at the estate. Raised entirely in new oak, it has a lucid garnet color. The bouquet is aimed directly at the senses - there is no dilly-dallying about, as it almost knocks you off your stool with its intense mineralité embroidered into this iridescent, graphite-tinged nose. The focus and penetration here ranks among the finest that I have tasted at this estate since first coming here in 1997. The palate is astonishingly well balanced, perfectly poised with super-fine tannins wrapped around pure blackberry, bilberry, graphite and cedar fruit. Like the Pavillon Rouge this year, there is a Pauillac-like sense of authority and aristocracy, leavened by Margaux-inspired femininity that completes that standout 2015 on the Left Bank. Beg for a bottle and worry about the cost later. Post script: I composed this tasting note five days before the passing of Paul Pontallier. It is a final gift from a gifted winemaker.

Bettane & Desseauve

19-19,5 / 20

the4/28/2016

Infiniment de noblesse aromatique, de tension maîtrisée, parfaite maturité du raisin, sélection sévère (35 % de la récolte) et assemblage très judicieux (87 % cabernet sauvignon, 8 % merlot, 3 % cabernet franc et 2 % petit-verdot), rétro-olfaction magique. Réussite exceptionnelle, hélas endeuillée par le décès de Paul Pontallier, qui l’aurait tant aimé, mais qui l’aura quand même vu naître.

Vinous

95-98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/27/2016

The 2015 Margaux is a super-classic wine. In 2015, most Margauxs are notably intense, but Château Margaux expresses the richness of the year in its surprising tannic backbone and overall structure. Far from an up-front or sensual wine, the 2015 Margaux is likely to require considerable cellaring. It is a tightly-wound wine that manages to be both powerful and crystalline in its translucent purity. The 2015 is a wine of real density and yet so very much Margaux. About 35% of the crop went into the Grand Vin.

Decanter.com

98 / 100

bySteven Spurrierthe4/27/2016

My joint top wine (with Ch Mouton Rothschild) of the vintage. Pure charm: the palate is discreet at the start and then goes on forever , always with the château’s silky texture and fine, firmly structured tannins. This will become a very great wine.2022-2050

Jean-Marc QUARIN

19 / 20

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/20/2016

Château Margaux est le plus grand vin du Médoc en 2015 ! Je regrette que Paul Pontallier, décédé le27 mars dernier n'ait pu s'en rendre compte. En octobre dernier, nous avions partagé nos impressionsdevant des premiers lots balbutiants, mais éblouissants. J'en reparlerai.Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre et vive. Nez profond, suave, fin et un peu plus puissant que decoutume. Superbe entrée en bouche où instantanément le vin monte, puis se met à délicatement plombersur le palais. Puissant au développement, surtout après le milieu de bouche, il se met à fondre et offreenfin sa grâce, tout son charme, avec un grand éclat dans le goût. Superbe grande finale ! Remarquez lepeu de merlot dans l'assemblage, l'élevage pourrait le grandir encore. Assemblage : 87 % cabernetsauvignon, 3 % cabernet franc, 2 % petit verdot et à peine 8 % merlot. Degré d'alcool : 13,5° - pH : 3 ,65– IPT : 70. Sélection : 35 % de la récolte. 42 % de la production totale sont passés dans le 3ème et4ème vin.

timatkin.com

97 / 100

byTim Atkin MWthe4/20/2016

Wine Enthusiast

98-100 / 100

byRoger Vossthe4/15/2016

Barrel Sample. This is a wonderful, subtle, sophisticated wine that has hidden power as well as great fruit. The Cabernet gives a pure black currant character to this intense wine, with its firm tannins hidden inside a fruity exterior. The balance is just right. 99 points

Jancis Robinson

19 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/15/2016

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 13.5% - record alcohol for the grand vin. Great breadth and savour on the nose. Lovely freshness and sophistication. Lots of fine tannins. Very aérien. Really flies! Perfect Margaux. A great welcome for the new chai and memorial for Paul Pontallier. Still tight but nothing out of balance. Very Margaux. Very classic claret. Quite brave because there is nothing showy about this wine, but it could truly be described as beautiful. 13.5% Drink 2026-2046

René Gabriel

19 / 20

the4/10/2016

87 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 8 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc, 2 % Petit Verdot. Nur ein Drittel der Produktion wurde als Grand Vin selektioniert. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Süsses Bouquet mit einem Hauch von ganz frisch gepflückten Beeren und auch Dörrfrüchten, eine Nuance Grenadine, gekochte Kirschen, fein laktische Töne, welche dem ausladenden Bouquet eine herrliche, aber auch elegante Fülle verleihen. Im Gaumen seidig, elegant mit veloursartiger Textur, und wieder diese süssen, verführerischen roten Beeren in ausufernder Form. Man muss wissen, dass der Cabernet sonst eigentlich den Blend verdünnt, weil die Merlots höhere Alkoholgradationen avisieren. Hier lagen die Cabernetchargen auf über 13 Volumenprozenten was nicht die Regel ist. Ein royaler Margaux mit viel Finessen. Seine Kraft merkt man irgendwie am Anfang gar nicht, aber man erspürt diese am druckvollen Nachklang. 19/20 2026 – 2058

Jamessuckling.com

100 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2016

The greatest Margaux ever made. More than perfection. Full body, firm and ultra-silky tannins. Black currant, mineral and floral character. It starts slowly and seems almost endless on the palate. Seamless. I want to sing! This is the wine that Margaux never made in some of the classics vintages like 1961, 1959 and 1945. May be its the 1900 all over again? Breathtaking.