Margaux - Margaux 2017

Wine Advocate

98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/17/2020

The 2017 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal alluring notes of blackcurrant cordial, Black Forest cake and black raspberries with suggestions of candied violets, tilled soil, fallen leaves, licorice and espresso plus wafts of underbrush and rosehip tea. Medium-bodied, the elegance and finesse on the palate is simply bedazzling, exuding a quiet intensity of fresh black fruits layered with oh-so-subtle floral and earth nuances. It has a soft, velvety texture and seamless freshness to support the tightly wound flavors, finishing long and perfumed. Beautiful! This grand vin accounts for just 37% of the crop. Drinking Window : 2024 - 2060

Vinous

97

byAntonio Gallonithe3/11/2020

One of the clear highlights on the Left Bank, the 2017 Margaux is magnificent. Soaring in intensity, the 2017 exudes class from the very first taste. Margaux is so often a wine of charm and seduction, but the 2017 is anything but that. Instead, Margaux is dark, somber and mysterious, with layers of sepia-toned nuance that opens up with time in the glass. Cabernet Sauvignon, picked 5 days later than first anticipated, is especially prominent. The 2017 is going to need a number of years to be at its very best, but it is a super-promising wine. Wow.

Wine Spectator

95

byJames Molesworththe2/7/2020

Seamless from start to finish, with a thoroughly caressing mouthfeel to the mix of damson plum, black cherry and black currant fruit, inlaid with a range of lilac, lavender and rooibos tea accents. The finish unfurls slowly, revealing a mouthwatering mineral edge buried deeply in the seductive fruit. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2038. 10,833 cases made. — JM

Jamessuckling.com

99

byJames Sucklingthe1/13/2020

There is ripeness and opulence to this, in an almost exotic and sassy way. Crushed berries with chocolate and spice. Floral and cashmere undertones. This starts off slowly and just rolls off the palate with beautifully polished tannins and a salty, minerally note to the long, extended tannins. Really brilliant. So classy. Structured. Try after 2025.

Decanter.com

96

byJane Ansonthe11/21/2019

Extremely elegant and finessed spicing on the nose, this has beautiful aromatics, and a seductive lead in. It has added some flesh and creaminess over the ageing, and although you still get fairly high austerity at this point it is becoming well enrobed without sacrificing precision. Good quality and highly enjoyable, this will age effortlessly, fine boned in the 2001 or 2011 sense. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend, a little lower percentage than usual because they felt structure in the wine was already in plentiful supply. 27% of production. Drinking Window 2026 - 2045

Le Point

18

byJacques Dupontthe6/20/2018

Bien ouvert, violette, réglisse, beaucoup de fraîcheur, bien vif, bouche tendue, tanins fermes, sapides, grains très fins, élégant, poivre, finale serrée, salivante, ­enveloppé et tendre.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95-97

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/12/2018

Compared to 1996 by winemaker Philippe Bascaules and from only 37% of the total production, the 2017 Château Margaux is unquestionably in the top 2 to 3 wines of the vintage, and it’s certainly the wine of the vintage in Margaux. Boasting a deep purple color as well as an awesome bouquet of cassis, blueberries, smoked herbs, graphite, and crushed flower, it builds incrementally on the palate and is full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and layered. It has surprising ripeness, yet like all the wines from this estate, it stays vibrant and fresh, with plenty of tannin. While most Margaux in 2017 seem to have a charming upfront style, this backward, concentrated beauty will need at least 5-6 years or bottle age.

WeinWisser

19,5

byRené Gabrielthe5/31/2018

89% Cabernet Sauvig­non, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 35 hl/ha. Mittetdunkles Ru-binpurpur. Herrlich feiner Duft mit An-klangen an Wildkirsche und Preiselbeer-getee, dahinter heller Tabak, zarter Veil-chenduft und tiefgründige Cassiswürze. Am krâftigen Gaumen mit feinmehligem Extrakt und spürbaren Muskeln, aber eng-maschig verwoben. Dann schnellt der Wein wie ein Sprinter beim 100-Meter-Lauf nach vorne, bleibt aber dabei elegant und klar ausgerichtet. lm facettenreichen, beeindruckenden Finale Wacholder, Pflau-menhaut und nachhaltige Adstringenz, die enorm animiert. Ganz grosses Margaux-Kino, das an 1996 erinnert. Mit beeindru-ckender Finesse und grandioser Konzent-ration in diesem Jahr klar die Spitze in der Appellation und einer der besten Weine des Jahrgangs!             
19.5/20 2027 - 2052

Vinifera

97

byJacques Perrinthe5/28/2018

Belle couleur. Nez raffiné, très «Margaux» . Entrée en bouche ultra précise. Il se déroule comme un long filigrane, élancé, parfaitement articulé, sans déficit de milieu de bouche, toute en fraîcheur, d’une puissance contenue. Très jolie finale. C’est un vin étonnant, qui réunit deux pans, deux styles de Margaux, l’un très classique, sur la finesse, l’autre plus viril, épicé.

Vinous

94-97

byAntonio Gallonithe5/15/2018

The 2017 Margaux is one of the highlights on the Left Bank. Surprisingly powerful and virile, the Grand Vin clearly reflects the influence of a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Beams of tannin give the wine support through the mid-palate and into the finish. Estate Manager Sebastian Vergne told me the winemaking team opted to raise temperatures at the end of fermentation to gain a bit more color, depth and polymerization of tannins. The Grand Vin represents 37% of the estate's production.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

byJeff Levethe5/11/2018

Dark ruby in color, the wine is silky and seductive. This is not a powerful wine, instead a velvet and satin texture with complexity and length. On the palate, the wine beguiles you with its sweetness, lift and sumptuous qualities. This vintage contains a record amount of tannins for the estate yet these tannins are so ripe and soft, you’ll barely notice them. This gem will have the ability to age for several decades. Made from a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the wine reached 13.5% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The Grand Vin was produced using only 37% of the return. The harvest commenced on September 18 and finished October 3 and the average yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare. Bravo for Philippe Bascules, the managing director who supervised this sublime production from start to finish.

Vinous

93-95

byNeal Martinthe5/1/2018

The 2017 Margaux, matured in 100% new oak, was blended in the second half of February. It has a very pure, floral bouquet with scents of iris and violet infusing the black and subtle blue fruit. There are touches of crushed stone and with aeration, a little candied orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe tannin, very harmonious in the mouth, caressing and sensual with black fruit, hints of graphite and a light marine influence. There is a fine build to this Château Margaux, commencing almost understated but finishing with an insistent grip and a long, quite spicy aftertaste. It's not the bewitching 2015 however, it purrs like a Rolls Royce and will age with panache.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/27/2018

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Château Margaux charges from the gate with opulent kirsch, raspberry preserves, wild blueberries and cassis notions accented by roses, violets, Chinese five spice and fragrant earth with touches of underbrush and truffles. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with vibrant, ripe red and blue fruits, layering in perfume and spice nuances. It's framed by very finely grained and plush yet firm tannins and great tension, finishing with epic length.

Decanter.com

96

byJane Ansonthe4/25/2018

Wow! This makes the whole room smile. The stunning nose hits you right off the bat, followed by wonderful fleshy damson fruit. This has some of the best aromatics in the business this year and a wonderful creamy texture through the palate. There's great density, and the tannins flatter it but they have menace and intent too, pulling the structure inwards and bouncing along to finish beautifully. This is more opulent than the Pavillon, which has some clear austerity, and the scale of the fruit is a little fresher than the 2015, with around the same ripeness level as the 2016. The 3.7pH is a little higher than the last two years, while an IPT of 73 is the same as last year. 37% of production went into the grand vin, including a 1% drop of Petit Verdot.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

18

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/17/2018

Wine Enthusiast

95-97

byRoger Vossthe4/17/2018

There is a firm, tannic structure here, although it certainly doesn't take away from the concentrated fruit. This wine is intense, full of black currants and great fruitiness. Both the fruit and structure are in harmony and balance. It's a fine selection, although it's not a wine for aging over many years. Drink from 2025.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/6/2018

This is a very dense Margaux, and especially for the vintage, with a full body, grainy tannins and a long and rich finish. Impressive depth of fruit and structure. Luscious and muscular at the same time.