In Bond Fine Wine. 2003 Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux, France. First Growth • Red Bordeaux in 1x300cl. Top critic score: 99/100 (RP). Drinking window: 2022–2043. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Château Margaux dates back to the 16th century, crowned as a First Growth in the famous 1855 Classification, and has long been regarded as the most graceful and refined of all the great Médoc estates. Renowned worldwide for its silky texture, haunting perfume and effortless elegance, Château Margaux produces wines of extraordinary purity and complexity, layering cassis, violets, cedar and graphite over impossibly fine tannins.
James Suckling (JS) — 98/100 · Wine Spectator, 31/03/2006 · Drink 2012+
Ultraconcentrated, with layers and layers of fruit and superfine tannins. Plenty of fruit, mineral and meat character. Full-bodied yet refined and classy, it coats your palate with gorgeous fruit and ripe tannins. Truly superb. One of the wines of the vintage. Best after 2012. 10,830 cases made.
Robert Parker (RP) — 99/100 · Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com, 30/04/2006 · Drink 2011-2035
Am I being too stingy with the 2003 Chateau Margaux? A wine of extraordinary complexity and intensity, it reveals a deep purple color, a style not unlike the 1990 Margaux (possibly even more concentrated), a velvety texture, and notes of spring flowers interwoven with camphor, melted licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Not a blockbuster, it offers extraordinary intensity as well as a surr…
Robert Parker (RP) — 96–100/100 · Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com, 30/04/2005 · Drink 2009-2035
An extraordinary wine and undeniably one of the great wines of the Medoc, and qualitatively a wine that towers over what other estates produced in the appellation of Margaux, the 2003 Chateau Margaux is made in a style that almost mirrors Lafite Rothschild in 2003. Last year I thought it could represent a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and 1996, but the wine has taken on even more opulence and se…