2020 Château Margaux 1st Classified Growth

  • 100 Point "Brilliant" Margaux
  • Iconic 1st Classified Growth
  • Chateau Dates Back Almost a Millennium
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About the Wine

Château Margaux’s roots date back almost a millennium, where history and terroir intertwine to create a masterpiece of taste. From its royal beginnings to its modern innovations, Château Margaux embodies the very essence of Bordeaux winemaking.

In the 12th century, and "La Mothe de Margaux" stands as a haven reserved for royalty. While vineyards had yet to grace its grounds, the Lestonnac family initiated the transformation. Under Pierre de Lestonnac's guidance, from 1572 to 1582, the property evolved from grain to grape, setting the stage for the Château Margaux we admire today.

As history unfolded, Château Margaux evolved. The iconic Louis Combes-designed chateau, a masterpiece of neo-palladian architecture, stood as a testament to elegance and functionality. Through recessions and phylloxera's adversity, the spirit endured. Ownership shifted, innovations emerged, and partnerships flourished, all culminating in the monumental 2009 vintage and the renovation of the cellars in 2015. 

Château Margaux is more than a wine, it's an embodiment of elegance, a symphony of flavors. It marries purity of fruit, harmony, and finesse. This wine, rich and full-bodied, beckons with notes of cassis, truffle, and violets, evoking a passion for excellence that transcends time.

Château Margaux has a long storied history, one of the owners was even beheaded by guillotine in the French Revolution, and today, the Estate is currently in the best shape it has ever been, producing what is probably the best wine it has ever produced.

Aging: 20 months in Frech oak barrels, 100% new.

Tasting Notes89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Reviews

Gorgeous aromas of dark plums and violets. Orange peel, too. Some crushed stone. Bark. Stems. Iron shavings. Full-bodied, but very tight and compacted. The tannins are all here making it very structured, yet they are polished and melted together. Needs years to show all of its greatness. Incredible polish and structure. More structured than the 2019. ~100 James Suckling

A brilliant Margaux; one that takes a sigh and then releases the huge floral, eucalyptus and crushed mint whoosh that comes in waves though the palate. You get the concentration of the vintage in an entirely positive light, with a suave softness to the tannins that makes it stand head and shoulders above many others. Plenty in common with the 1996 vintage - the knitted down tannins, the completeness, the juicy blackcurrant purity and acidity on the finish, and the certainty of long ageing. Real clarity of flavour. Alcohol level is lower than both the 2018 and 2019, but tannins and anthocyanins are at the same level as in 2018. 36% of overall harvest, and 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. ~99 Decanter

This is a big wine, smoky and rich. With a higher proportion of Petit Verdot than in the past, it offers complexity and bold black fruits. The wine is structured while always ripe and generous. ~98 Wine Enthusiast

The 2020 Château Margaux is a brilliant young wine, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with hints of rose petals, iris, burning embers and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with terrific tension, beautifully refined tannins and a long, penetration finish, this is a vibrant, dynamic Margaux that stands out as the most classically proportioned wine of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio. Best After 2030. ~97 Wine Advocate

As to the Grand Vin, the 2020 Chateau Margaux is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, pulled from a tiny 36% of the total production, that spent 20 months in new barrels. It has that classic Chateau Margaux sense of elegance and complexity and offers full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe currants, blueberries, acacia flowers, crushed stone, and sandalwood that develop with time in the glass. With remarkable purity as well as flawless balance, it's a seriously concentrated, powerful 2020 that still just glides across the palate with no hard edges, silky tannins, and a great finish. I love everything about this wine. It's going to flirt with perfection in 7-8 years and evolve for 50-75 years. It actually reminds me slightly of the 2016. Best After 2030. ~97 Jeb Dunnuck

The 2020 Château Margaux, like many other top names, was tasted in 12-hour intervals after opening. Like the Pavillon Rouge, it is tightly-wound on the nose initially and it is really only after 12-hours that it begins to motor, revealing enticing scents of blackberry, briary, seaweed and crushed stone, perhaps less florality, less violet-inspired aromas compared to previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with very lithe tannins that disguise the considerable backbone of this First Growth. This is imbued with a sense of linearity and focus, a strictness that gradually gives way to more sensuality. It is a beautifully proportioned Château Margaux, somehow "effortless", fanning out nonchalantly with residues of white pepper and fresh tobacco on the finish. Outstanding. ~96-98Vinous

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