Appellations

Margaux 2021

Margaux, First Growth

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Tasting Notes

Full of vivid flavours, colour and aromatics, chiselled, energetic and beautifully balanced. Subtle gunsmoke, grilled cassis bud and saffran alongside fleshy blackberry and pomegranate. Clear austerity on the finish, with waves of cloves and saffran as it extends through the palate. Plenty of harmony here, and potential for ageing. Harvest through to October 14. Philippe Bascaules director, showcasing what can be achieved in the vintage. Eric Boissenot consultant. 100% new oak.

Score: 95 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2028-2041 Date: 02 April 2024

The 2021 Château Margaux is creamy and supple, a classy Margaux with the volume turned down just a bit. Succulent dark cherry, red plum, spice and rose petal infuse the 2021 with layers of succulent depth. This is a quiet wine, but one that possesses notable richness for the year. Time in the glass brings out the aromatics, but this remains very much built on its fruit.

Score: 96 Antonio Galloni, Inside Bordeaux Maturity: 2031-2071 Date: 27 February 2024

As I found out of barrel, the 2021 Château Margaux bides its time on the nose. At the moment, understandably, as it is just three months post-bottling, the new oak is quite prominent—more than, say, Mouton or Lafite. But it is buttressed by ample blackberry and blueberry fruit and becomes increasingly floral in the glass. The palate is armed with extremely pure black fruit and a superb line of acidity, very harmonious with an incremental build in the mouth. Displaying wonderful mineralité and poise, this has actually stepped up a gear since I tasted it in barrel. I suspect it may well continue its melioration in bottle.

Score: 96 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2030-2060 Date: 22 February 2024

Fragrant and floral with violet and peony notes. Clean and direct on attack, mid-palate weight and drive on the finish. Low-key but refined tannic frame. Super-length and persistence. Discreet but elegant, if less substance than a wine scoring 18 or higher.

Score: 17+ James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2030-2050 Date: 06 May 2022

A Margaux with beautiful depth and grace and wonderfully well-placed, refined tannins, showing presence and a soft texture. They caress your palate. Full-bodied, yet tight and extremely long. Seamless. 87% cabernet franc, 8% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot.

Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 01 May 2022

The 2021 Château Margaux is clearly one of the finest wines of the vintage. Offering up a deep bouquet of raspberries, wild blueberries and plums mingled with sweet spices, violets, licorice and hints of cigar box, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with terrific depth at the core and beautifully refined, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, floral finish. Combining the vibrant flavors and moderate alcohol (13.1%) of a vintage of the last century with all the precision of the present in extraction and élevage, it is a timeless classic; and lest that be mistaken for a euphemism for a lack of concentration, note that the wine is analytically as high in polyphenols as the brilliant 2019. Representing only 36% of the estate's production, the 2021 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Score: 95 - 97 William Kelley, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 29 April 2022

I think the wine of the vintage is the 2021 Château Margaux, which comes from a miniscule selection of just 36% of the total production. The final blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all of which is resting in 100% new French oak. Reminding me slightly of a riper 1996, it has incredible purity in its ripe cassis and blueberry fruits as well as notes of liquid violets, spicy oak, graphite, and hints of sandalwood. As seamless as they come, medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and with ample Château Margaux purity and finesse, this brilliant juice is as good as it gets in the vintage.

Score: 95 - 97 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 06 February 2022