Château Margaux 2009

What stands out in this particularly stylish wine is the unique polish of the tannins and the crystal-clear expression of the fruit. The second wine Pavillon rouge comes very close to the Grand Vin in style, and Pavillon blanc, the white wine, has remarkable freshness and volume.

A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine's overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30-35+ years.

Dark in colour, the 2009 vintage boasts a pronounced plum and blackberry fruit aroma with notes of chocolate, ground coffee, and a touch of oak spice that seems to linger. The palate has impressive density but nothing austere, as the silky tannic structure caresses the palate throughout the deliciously long finish. Despite its youth, this vintage is already more approachable than the 2000. Although one might be tempted to pull the cork, let cooler heads prevail since this has the substance for long aging.

Mid ruby. Very toasty oak. Smoke and blackcurrant, with the oak being the primary flavour at the moment. Very savoury on the finish, and pretty light on the mid-palate. Perfumed like Margaux. Well made structure, but heavily reliant on oak at this stage. (RH)

The 2009 Château Margaux is intense and powerful on the nose with blackberry, forest floor, graphite and rose petals that unfurls with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, impressive density and plenty of freshness, perhaps more than the 2009 Mouton-Rothschild. There is a genuine Pauillac-like drive to this Château Margaux thanks to the Cabernet Sauvignon, clearly a First Growth destined for long-term ageing. 13.1% alcohol. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

If you are wondering what heaven in a glass feels, smells, and tastes like, look no further. This is everything a great wine needs. The texture is pure silk and velvet. And speaking of purity, the fruit delivers that in spades. The sensual texture really brings everything together. If you have a bottle and can wait another decade, as good as this is today, it will be even better!

Dark ruby red with purple hues, subtle brightening on the rim. Refined roasted aromas, a hint of nougat, ripe red cherries, refined nuances of liquorice and cardamom, black cherries, multi-faceted, a mineral bouquet. Complex, dark berry fruit, sweet extract, firm, well-integrated tannins, fresh and salty on the finish, enormous length, but also great elegance, as concentrated as the 2005, but much more accessible thanks to its great, silky tannins. Already drinking well.

“Certainly one of the most extraordinary wines we have ever made here. The most concentrated and, at the same time, one of the silkiest Château Margaux,” notes an obviously proud estate manager, Paul Pontallier. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Despite the high quality, 23% was declassified as the third wine. The Grand Vin, Château Margaux, accounts for 36% of the total harvest. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac glints at the rim. What defines a truly great Margaux? It’s the mulberries that in the bouquet often mingle with raspberries and a touch of cassis; here they appear in lavish measure. A nutty/nougat note sets off the interplay of licorice and fine oak; then come hints of prunes, cocoa beans, and freshly roasted coffee; the Cabernets are regal and noble without imposing too much force on the nose. The palate shows ample sweetness from perfectly ripe berries, a hint of honey and light malt, and very fine, delicate caramel traces from the barriques that melt over the extract. The astringency is rich, supportive, and already almost harmonized within the massive body. And yet, this is not an early charmer ready to please soon, because there is a lot of tannin to digest here—something that can easily take at least 10 years. But for that, this Margaux legend will be a wine for generations. In style, a blend between a more concentrated version of 1990 and a slightly richer 1983. P.S. Brochure comment: “Le 2009 est peut-être le plus grand Château Margaux jeune que nous avons goûté depuis 30 ans” (20/20). 13: Deep purple at the center, ruby rim. The bouquet opens with discreet wax notes, raspberries, lingonberries, almost creamy at first, at least milky; in the background, a lovely sweetness, with clearly defined fruit and plenty of freshness. Surprisingly approachable. On the palate, velvety texture, fairly ample, a superb fruit sweetness carried by generous extract, overall showing incredible intensity and thus an extremely long finish. In a way, this is quite the opposite of what is usually associated with the 2009 vintage profile. There is no comparison with older, truly great Château Margaux. Why? Because it is even better than all the young vintages tasted since 1982! So an absolute Margaux legend is taking shape for the coming decades. (20/20). 14: Extremely dark purple. You sense the great homogeneity right from the start, very ripe fruit notes from red to blue berries, dark caramel, rye bread, then smoke and currants. Silky flow, compact but not unapproachable. A colossal concentrate, yet not forbidding, with a very fine Amarone touch at its core; in the very long finish, you find dark fine woods. Paul Pontallier said, when we tasted the wine before lunch, that he would probably not live to see its full maturity and that its potential reached 100 years. (20/20). 21: Deep purple-garnet. Headily fruity bouquet mixing lingonberries, raspberries, mulberries, vanilla, and wax notes. It feels perfumed and offers a seamless sweetness. Despite being partially closed, it already delivers tremendously and, with its world-class aromas, also recalls a Richebourg and Masseto. On the palate, finesse and power. It shows the incomparable Margaux perfume of a special kind. In an intermediate peak of drinking pleasure. It would be a crying shame not to experience this feminine Margaux giant in this phase. (20/20)

Dense, velvety, creamy, fresh, complex bouquet, mulberries, raspberries, flint, delicate liquorice. Dense, layered, elegant palate with a wide range of concentrated aromas, plenty of fine tannins, a concentrated, subtly muscular structure, and a very long, dense, fresh finish. 20/20 drink - 2050

Power and enveloping aromatics from the very first moment, this is bursting with pleasure and so signature Margaux. Impossible not to love the depth and spice that come through right away, with spirals of sandalwood, violets, crushed raspberries and cassis. Enticing, generous, and totally delicious. Still young, very much in its primary fruit phase, but you can begin to drink it now such is the vibrancy of the tannins, and it will deliver for many decades to come. Torrefied, smoked coffee bean and campfire notes take over after half an hour in the glass. 100% new oak. 31% of the production made it into the 1st wine, with the same high level of Cabernet Sauvignon as in 2005. Paul Pontallier was the director in those years, and this continues to set a benchmark for the property, as it has every time I have tasted it.

A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2009 Chateau Margaux has a deep garnet color. It comes barrelling out of the glass with bold notions of black cherry compote, warm cassis, vanilla, sassafras, star anise, and unsmoked cigars, with emerging wafts of violets and smoked meats. The medium-bodied palate delivers tantalizing tension with velvety tannins and generous black fruits, finishing long with lingering baking spice and mineral nuances. It is delicious right now but has many, many years of cellaring to go!

Always that sublime texture, that peerless noble bouquet, and a magical tannin—the most harmonious and richest Château-Margaux of the last thirty years.

Solid, powerful and generous, with great tannic structure yet always plenty of refinement. On the palate, generous fruit (notes of dark fruits) and a very lovely velvety texture.

Dense, concentrated, elegant, with charm.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) Dark, intense, youthful and beautiful color. Intense, refined, complex, deep and very young nose that changes a lot with aeration. Wow, it’s hard to expect such delicacy after such a nose! The wine keeps melting, complex to the touch as well as on the palate. It develops sapidly to become more solid on the finish without losing its complexity. Very long persistence, fresh, noble and ultimately unspittable. Charm, hedonism, aesthetics and precision. A style opposite to 2005.

What makes a truly great Margaux? It’s the mulberries that, in the bouquet, usually mingle with raspberries and a touch of cassis. The 2009 has these in more than ample measure. The play of sweetness and fine wood opens with a slightly nutty note, followed by hints of prune, cocoa bean, and the scent of freshly roasted coffee—and the two Cabernets are royally poised, without any showiness. On the palate, there’s plenty of sweetness from perfectly ripe berries, a little honey, light malt, and very fine, delicate caramel traces that melt into the extract. The astringency is generous, yet the supporting tannins are already almost harmoniously integrated into the massive body. And still, this Margaux is no early charmer seeking quick appeal, because the digestion of its opulent tannins should take at least 10 years—making this Margaux legend a wine event for generations. Stylistically, the ’09 is a kind of blend between 1990 (only more concentrated) and 1983 (only richer).

A massive wine for Margaux, packed with tannins and ripe fruit. It has more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, giving intense black currant flavors with enticing acidity balanced by the sweetness of the fruit. Ripe swathes of this opulent fruit are also elegant and structured.