Château Margaux 2025

Easily one of the wines of the vintage and clear contender for a 100-point wine that benefited from slightly later picking after the rain with the Cabernets harvested from the 19 September. So floral, what a wonderful bouquet of aromas with wild flowers, medicinal herbs and touches of eucalyptus. Crushed velvet, round and enveloping, so balanced with energy and flair. Juicy and alive, bright with fresh strawberries and cherries and a chalky backbone. Grippy with lovely salinity and focus. Feels incredibly sophisticated, a touch firm but pure and precise with refinement. You can feel the structure – it has concentration but an almost aerial quality that just glides over the tongue. So delicate for so much concentration – really a powerful yet almost understated wine with plenty of Margaux charm, ripe but cool fruit and aromatic purity. So perfect and nothing missing. 37% grand vin (lowest production since 1856 with yields of just 22hl/ha). 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.72pH. 81 IPT.

The vast array of floral aromas doesn't require a single swirl before you're ensconced in their bouquet. Black cherries, cocoa, exotic spices, currants, espresso, and blackberries follow aromatically. On the palate, length, width, and depth are present in spades. The concentration is intense, yet the wine feels almost weightless on your palate. The fruits, with an almost racy quality, paired with sweetness, energy, and length, hit all the right notes. Balanced between cerebral and opulent, this is a great vintage of Chateau Margaux. The hallmark of the vintage is the fruit's ability to provide ripeness with density. The wine blends 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot. 13.8% ABV. 3.72 pH, 14% press wine. Yields were only 22 hectoliters per hectare. Picking took place September 8 - September 29. Drink from 2032-2075. 98-100 Pts

The finesse of the bouquet suggests great depth. Its filigree character highlights the many components present, without any one taking over. Hints of red berries underscore the freshness, along with touches of eucalyptus and pepper and a suggestion of cinnamon. Rather slender on the attack, the wine gains breadth as it unfolds. It is carried by silky, compact tannins that reveal their power with subtlety. The acidic structure sits in the background and provides the overall energy needed to ensure tension and definition. A Château Margaux of great finesse—thoughtful and detailed—aiming to shine through its many nuances and to create a cohesive whole built on elegance. I would like it to be a touch more vibrant, more impactful. Ageing will be essential. Very promising prospects are assured.

Inky-black colour. An intense, refined and ultra-complex nose, with spectacular fruit brilliance. Notes of black fruits, plum, vanilla, spices and violet. With aeration, the aromatic power is insane. Incredibly precise on the attack, with the creamiest texture ever seen at Château Margaux, a superbly elegant structure, record flavour intensity and an amazing softness on the palate, the wine develops into a delicious whole. The finish adds an ultra-delicate, mysterious layer of breadth, as this perfectly controlled power defies comprehension. It’s wonderful. Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Press wine: 13%. Alcohol: 13.8% - pH: 3.72 - IPT: 81, slightly below 2022 (88) and 2018 (83). Yield: 22 hl/ha. Selection: 37% of the crop. Harvest dates: 8 to 29 September, but for the large plots from the 19th onward. As a side note, Philippe Bascaules took the risk of delaying the harvest, believing that waiting 120 days between flowering and full ripeness was necessary. He started on the major plots from Friday the 19th, while many other estates had finished by the 22nd for fear of rainy days and botrytis. It’s rare for Château Margaux to be among the last to finish harvesting. He simply said he was right on time!