Château Margaux - Margaux 2008

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

par James Suckling le 20/12/2011

This is so subtle and refined on the nose with amazing perfumes of rose petal, blueberries and blackberries. Full but very tight and fresh with a lovely length that goes on and on. Starts off slowly with a solid core of fruit, then grows denser and dense. This is shy at first, needs at least five years of bottle age.

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 31/05/2011

This is a stunning Chateau Margaux, made in a sexy, up-front, elegant style, with deep creme de cassis fruit intermixed with spring flowers, a solid inner core of richness and depth, but again, very sweet tannins as well as striking minerality and elegance. One of the most seductive Chateau Margauxs given its recent bottling, this blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot should drink beautifully for the next 25-30 years. Remarkably, a mere 36% of the entire production was selected for the 2008 Chateau Margaux. Drink 2011-2041

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

par James Molesworth le 15/12/2010

A tangy style, with lots of grilled herb, dried bay leaf and damson plum notes laced with extra roasted cedar and mesquite on the finish. Opens slowly, very slowly, to show more layers of flesh, mulled cherry and spice, with a lingering sanguine note developing on the finish. Needs patience. Best from 2013 through 2019. -J.M.

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

le 30/06/2009

(87% CS, 10% ME, 3% CF) Dunkles Rubingranat, jugendlich Reflexe, violetter Rand. In der Nase verhalten, zarte Kirschenfrucht, zarte tabakige Würze, ein Hauch von Gewürnelken. Am Gaumen samtig und seidig, ein sehr klassischer Margaux, feine Tannine, elegant und zugänglich, insgesamt eher schlank und etwas klein kalibriert, aber mit viel Charme und Harmonie, gut Länge, verfügt über gutes Reifepotenzial.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

91-94 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 28/05/2009

(87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 1.5% each petit verdot and cabernet franc; 36% of the total crop) Full, bright, purple-tinged ruby. Violet and blackcurrants on the nose; with its dominant black fruits, this is completely different from the Pavillon Rouge, which is all about red fruits. Enters the mouth discreetly, then picks up volume in the middle. Offers sneaky concentration without any impression of weight, offering very pure, fresh blackcurrant, cedar and tobacco flavors and a long, mineral-driven finish. Archetypical Margaux in its aroma profile, this seems superior to the less refined '07.

Wein Wisser

18 / 20

par René Gabriel le 07/05/2009

36 % Grand Vin. 87 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Merlot, 1,5 % Cabernet Franc, 1,5 % Petit Verdot. Das Bouquet zeigt Tiefe, wirkt kühl, duftet nach dunklen Rosen, Rosenholz und zeigt eine deutliche Cabernet Expression, Terroir-Anzeige durch kalte Rauchnuancen. Fester Gaumen, viel griffige, grobkörnige Adstringenz, muskulös, vielleicht gar in diesem Stadium etwas hart anmutend, brachialer Wein, in diesem Zustand eher das Gegenteil dessen, was man sich bis vor kurzem unter einem Château Margaux vorstellte. Ein Kraftakt mit viel Muskeln und Fleisch, aber vielleicht (noch) zu wenig Fett. Hoffen wir auf den kommenden Ausbau in den Barriques. Zweifellos besitzt dieser Margaux jedoch grosses Potenzial. 2018 – 2040

Wine Advocate

95-97 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2009

This is a superb vintage for Chateau Margaux, and while it may be too early to say this, the 2008 appears superior to the 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001. Only 36% of the crop was utilized and the yields were 40 hectoliters per hectare. An exceptionally late harvest for this estate began on October 3 for the Merlot, and finished on October 23. The final blend includes a whoppingly high 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As always, the first characteristic one notices is the extraordinary floral component as well as the sweet black currant fruit allied to full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and superb freshness and delineation. In many ways, the 2008 is reminiscent of the 1996, but the former wine is showing even more density and concentration than the 1996 did at the same point in its evolution. The 2008, which appears set for 30-40 years of longevity, is a remarkable effort from this great estate.

La Revue du Vin de France

17.50-18.50 / 20

le 29/04/2009

Avec 87% de cabernet-sauvignon, Château Margaux démontre une fois encore l'élégance et la pureté des grands vins issus de ce cépage. Droit, fin et subtil, 2008 possède une structure de tanins et une longueur où se mêlent le fruit et la fraîcheur. Le nez, pur, évolue sur des notes de fruits noirs mûrs. Très floral, le vin se reserre en milieu de bouche pour mieux se détendre en finale et ainsi bien affirmer son caractère margalais. A noter, d'importants investissements sont en cours dans la rénovation du cuvier et de la réception de la vendange.

TAST

17.50 / 20

le 23/04/2009

Encore une année de cabernet sauvignon presque exclusif, avec un style néanmoins fort différent de 2005 ou 2006. La colonne vertébrale du vin est en effet imposante mais contribue à un sentiment actuel de rigidité et de monolithisme que n’ont pas les autres premiers crus du Médoc. Un vin très racé, très élancé, mais sévère, montrant la face masculine d’un cru ambivalent dont le 2007, vraiment exquis en sa fin d’élevage, illustre de façon autrement éloquente la face féminine ! Pavillon Rouge, adroitement vinifié et évitant l’austérité locale des tanins du millésime manque quand même un peu de chair. Pavillon Blanc est très équilibré et noblement aromatique mais avec moins de folie et d’intensité que dans les millésimes précédents.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 16/04/2009

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot. Bright crimson. Rather opulent on the nose – hints of tobacco – and a little more burly and savoury than usual, perhaps because of less Merlot flesh. Dry start with the same backbone as the Pavillon Rouge. Firm, very fine tannins. No shortage of acidity. Mainly structure at the moment. Very clean but very youthful. Great freshness. Purity but I do feel we are tasting this too young. It should take on a bit more flesh. Very straight backed. Very fresh. Very embryonic. Drink 2020-35 17++

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 15/04/2009

A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot with 1.5% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this has a comparatively introspective nose of black fruits, sous-bois, a touch of cigar box and a little graphite. Like the Pavillon, it has something of a Pauillac austerity to it. The palate is medium-bodied, very fine tannins, sensuous texture, less floral than usual, more broody and introspective, but understated and elegant on the finish. There is more tangible sous-bois character than usual, an enigmatic Château Margaux that could benefit from more depth and length. Tasted April 2009.

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 14/04/2009

(87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot; as a result of drastic selection, the final blend will represent only 31% of the crop at bottling time.) Good deep colour, very fine Cabernet red fruits with aromatic purity, precise and direct with a restrained quality, more violets than blackcurrants, more roses than black cherries, less dense than the Cabernets from Pauillac, fine firm fruit and terrific length show in time, less ripe at this stage than its peers in this vintage, all in finesse and purity. Drink 2018-35.