Margaux 2023 (1.5L)

98 Points, Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux: "Vibrant peony and ruby red colour, this hums with movement and energy through the palate, a complex bloom of lavendar and white rose flowers, fresh and dense at the same time. Classical Margaux, with the savoury quality of the best wines of the year, a ton of fine tannins with a reserved sculpted architecture. The drinkability of this vintage is such a welcome return, and this is exceptionally good quality, and a real pleasure to taste. Superb winemaking from Philippe Bascaules. 41hl/h yield (compared to 25hl/h last year), 41% of the production in this 1st wine." 04/24

99-100 Points, James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com: "The aromas in this young Margaux are so primary, reminding me of grape must fermenting in the vat, then turning to perfumes and flowers. Violets and roses. Full-bodied but it comes across as so agile and bright, with vivid acidity that makes the wine crunchy and linear. As Alexis, one of the owners of Margaux said, this really shows the DNA of the estate. Weightless. One of the wines of the vintage. 3.6 pH. Blend of 89% cabernet sauvignon, 5% merlot, 4% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.." 05/24

95-97 Points, William Kelley, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: "The 2023 Château Margaux shows considerable promise, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, violets, spring flowers and sweet tobacco, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's taut, concentrated and classically structured, with sweet, refined tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that attained 13% alcohol." 04/24

96-100 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com: “The 2023 Château Margaux is clearly one of the greats in the vintage, and it actually reminds me a touch of the 1996, if not better. Revealing a deep purple hue, it has an incredible bouquet of cassis and blue fruits interwoven with classic Margaux floral, sandalwood, spice, and graphite aromatics. It's hard to find a wine in 2023 that has this much density and depth, with sweet tannins and so much charm. The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all of which will see 20 months in new barrels. Not enough can be said about the genius of Philippe Bascaules and the Mentzelopoulos family, who continue to produce sensational wine after sensational wine.” 05/24

97-100 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: “The 2023 Château Margaux is fabulous. Sensual, silky and exceptionally polished, the 2023 Château Margaux is shaping up to be a classic. Seamless, silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red/purplish fruit. Hints of spice, new leather, menthol, licorice and rose petal fill out the glass. There's a bit of new oak peeking through today, but that won't be an issue in a few years' time. Only Bordeaux can produce wines that offer so much flavor intensity at a low alcohols. Margaux is the least showy of the First Growths, but it is often the most refined. The 2023 is sublime.” 04/24

97-99 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent: “The 2023 Chateau Margaux, accounting for 41% of this year's crop, is deep garnet-purple in color. A little shy to begin, it needs some swirling before notes of black cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, and anise emerge from the glass, leading to suggestions of fragrant soil, lilacs, and cardamom with a touch of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly crafted, with fabulous tension creating an exhilarating sense of energy in the mouth, offset by firm fine-grained tannins to support the vibrant red and black berry layers, finishing long and perfumed. So fragrant and graceful, this could only be Chateau Margaux! The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.60. "There is a little more Cabernet Franc this year. More and more has been making it into the First Wine. We have been grafting over some vines to Cabernet Franc and planting more."” 05/24

97 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous: “The 2023 Château Margaux, which was bottled at the beginning of July, is a supremely gifted wine for the vintage. It unfolds in the glass with precise, quite mineral-driven black cherry and blueberry fruit, the patina of new oak suggesting it will require six or seven years in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-like texture that lends this First Growth weightlessness, yet paradoxically, there is still impressive concentration and persistence. This was so seductive in barrel and it has lost none of that in bottle." 02/26