Robert Parker, tasting note published in September 5th 2019
The 2017 Chateau Margaux is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet in colour, it needs a little coaxing to reveal seductive notes of blackcurrant, Black Forest cake and black raspberries with hints of candied violets, tilled earth, fallen leaves, liquorice and espresso plus herbal biscuits and rosehip tea. Medium-bodied, the elegance and delicacy on the palate is simply stunning, exuding a quiet intensity of fresh black fruits layered with floral and earthy nuances so subtle. It has a soft, velvety texture and a seamless freshness to support the tightly wound flavours, finishing long and fragrant. Beautiful! This great wine represents only 37% of the vintage.
After a relatively dry 2016, the first months of 2017 brought the necessary precipitation to keep the water table balanced. Winter temperatures were not particularly cold. The vines sprouted around 4 April, but we were not careful enough with spring temperatures and a frost on the nights of 27 and 28 April served as a reminder that, above all, winegrowers are dependent on nature. The choice location of the vineyard plots allowed limited frost damage: only 10% of the red vines were affected. In the whole growing cycle, only the last week of June saw heavy rainfall. The vines had already flowered between 25 and 30 May in the most favourable conditions for efficient and homogeneous pollination. The summer of 2017 was hot and very dry during July and August. Light precipitation in early September was the only thing that disrupted the opportunity to produce a great vintage.
Allergens information
Contains sulphites.
SKU: 105905
Château Margaux
Château Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most famous wine estates, located east of Margaux itself in the Médoc. Along with Lafite, Latour and Haut-Brion, it was classified as a first growth in Bordeaux’s original 1855 Classification of the Médoc. Generally, Margaux is regarded as the most elegant of the first growths and is consistently one of the world’s most expensive wines. La Mothe de Margaux existed as a separate estate in the 12th century, and was established as a wine estate in the 1570s when Médoc farmers began to abandon cereal crops in favour of vines. In 1705, the London Gazette announced the first auction of 230 barrels of ‘Margose’, and in 1787 Thomas Jefferson made his famous visit to Bordeaux and identified Margaux as one of ‘four first-rate vineyards’. In 1800, the estate occupied 265 hectares (655 acres) with a third planted with vines, which is still the situation today. The iconic Neopaladian castle, nicknamed “The Versailles of the Médoc”, was built in the early 19th century to match the vineyard’s reputation.
The vineyards of Château Margaux have a complex combination of soils that are unique to the region. These consist of limestone clay under a top layer of coarse and fine gravel, which is well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for around 75 per cent of the plantings. Merlot makes up another 20 per cent, with the rest planted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As is typical of top Bordeaux estates, the vineyard is densely planted at 10,000 vines per hectare. There are also 12 hectares (30 acres) of Sauvignon Blanc to make Margaux’s white offering, Pavillon Blanc, which should be sold as Bordeaux AOP, not Margaux. The red wines are fermented in a mixture of traditional wooden and stainless steel vats; the great wine sees aging for between 18 and 26 months in new oak barrels.
