Château Margaux 2006

A refined Margaux wine with great concentration

The estate

With origins dating back to the 12th century, Château Margaux is among those Grands Crus that have built the legend of the great wines of Bordeaux around the world. In 1855, the estate was elevated to the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé and was the only one among the four châteaux presented to receive a perfect score of twenty out of twenty. With the acquisition of the estate by André Mentzelopoulos in 1977, Château Margaux began a new chapter in its history. Elevating the Grand Vin of Château Margaux to the highest level, he reintroduced the estate’s Second Wine, Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, first created in 1908. Following in her father’s footsteps after his untimely passing, Corinne Mentzelopoulos took up the family banner with energy and passion to preserve the standing of Château Margaux, now a Bordeaux masterpiece, so recognizable by its neo-Palladian style. Vintage after vintage, the estate’s wines rank among the greatest in the world.

The vineyard

The vineyard of Château Margaux owes its distinctiveness to its rare and unique terroir, situated on a gravel mound. The estate’s varietal composition gives pride of place to Cabernet Sauvignon, without forgetting Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The estate’s clay-limestone soils give rise to legendary wines with a racy, sensual character, so representative of the Margaux appellation.

The vintage

After a rather cold winter, especially in February but wetter than in 2005, the very dry spring briefly raised concerns about water stress—fears quickly tempered by the vine’s resilience and the natural buffer of great terroirs. The one clear shadow: the frost on April 11 outwitted the anti-frost protection at Virefougasse, seriously reducing the potential of Pavillon Blanc. An ideal flowering heralded for the reds a harvest of average volume, on a timetable close to the two preceding vintages. Summer was hot—heatwave conditions at the end of July—then milder in August, and notably stingy with rain—though less so than in 2003 over the same period. September, true to its contrasts, began with ten very hot, dry days before turning mild and humid, then dry enough to allow an unhurried harvest. A scenario closely reminiscent of 1996: the same summer rains, the same improvement at the end of August, the same September rainfall through to harvest.

Winemaking and aging

The 2006 vintage was marked by a stringent selection of grapes: only 36% of the harvest was used to produce the Grand Vin of Château Margaux.

Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon (90%)
Merlot (4%)
Petit Verdot (4%)
Cabernet Franc (2%).

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Margaux 2006

Tasting

Nose
The nose captivates with its finesse.

Palate
On the palate, the very rich tannins are supported by a dense, tight texture. Graceful, pure, fresh, and powerful, this balanced wine is the pure expression of the noble soils of Château Margaux. The finish is of incredible length, lively, fresh, and savory.