Château MARGAUX 2016

Description

Antonio Galloni 99 points www.vinous.com
A gorgeous, captivating bouquet gives the 2016 Margaux an irresistible allure. Weightless and yet wonderfully persistent, in the way only the château’s wines can be, the 2016 Grand Vin is a wine of exceptional breeding and pedigree. So many wines in this vintage are obvious, but Margaux is a wine that takes time to discover, like a great book or piece of music. Shades of tobacco, cedar, mint, licorice and bright, red-toned fruit reveal themselves over time. And yet it is a sense of total harmony and seductiveness that elevates Margaux into the stratosphere in 2016.

Jean-Marc Quarin 99 www.quarin.com
Couleur sombre, intense, noire, pourpre, vive. Nez complexe, intense, fin. Bouche merveilleuse où le vin monte dans une grande douceur tactile, très élégant dans son toucher, très « Musigny » dans ses arômes. Puis il fond et s’étire longtemps, noble, précis et superbe de classe. Ce résultat est obtenu avec une sélection sévère de 28 % de premier vin ce qui permet de dépasser le standard qualitatif de l’appellation cette année. Assemblage : 94 % de cabernet sauvignon (très élevé), 3 % de cabernet franc, 2 % merlot, 1 % petit verdot. Degré d’alcool : 13° (moyenne) – pH : 3,6 (moyenne plus) – IPT : 70 (moyenne plus).

Lisa Perrotti-Brown 99 points www.erobertparker.com
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Château Margaux (blended of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot) sashays out of the glass with glamorous red currants, candied violets, kirsch and crushed blackcurrants scents followed by notions of tilled black soil, forest floor, cast iron pan and cigar box with subtle wafts of lavender and oolong tea. Medium-bodied, mineral laced accents hover over the palate with an ethereal sensation of weightlessness, yet it is super intense with layers of red and black flavors supported by a firm texture of silt-fine tannins, finishing wonderfully fragrant and incredibly long.

Neal Martin 97-99 points www.robertparker.com
The 2016 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, plus 1% of Petit Verdot, representing 28% of the total production. This is the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon apart from 2013, which was due to the poor Merlot. It was cropped around 50 hectoliters per hectare depending on the grape variety, for example it could be up to 65 hectoliters per hectare in some sectors. Lucid in color, it has a detailed and precise bouquet with mineral-rich blackberry, raspberry coulis and limestone scents. It feels very perfumed, though not powerful like many Grand Vins in 2016. The palate is a different creature to the aromatics. Here is the intensity of the vintage with shimmering black fruit laced with spice, a killer line of acidity and an irresistible crescendo on the finish. Then, graphite lingering on the aftertaste, a nod to Pauillac perhaps. The aftertaste is so long you could probably write a letter to your friend enthusing about this wine before the aftertaste fades. Doubtless it is destined to be compared to the magnificent 2015 Château Margaux and to be truthful, there’s a hair’s breadth between them. In a word: crystalline.