The Merlot yields, especially those from old vines, were seriously affected by the onset of coulure and particularly millerandage. We might have thought that a relatively low production would have enabled the grapes to reach better ripeness levels; however, the fine weather arrived too late for the Merlot, whose ripeness was too far behind to catch up. The quality of the Merlot was, on the whole, disappointing.
On the other hand, the Cabernets and the Petit Verdot took full advantage of this Indian summer, which so often produces very good, even great vintages in Bordeaux. Their quality was, on the whole, remarkable.
Our final blend, therefore, includes very little Merlot (it may even be the lowest ever proportion in history at Château Margaux). So it is essentially a wine made up of fine, pure, rich, tight-knit and tender Cabernet Sauvignon. It may lack some complexity and depth in order to be considered a great vintage. Very fine September weather can certainly make up most of the lost ground, but it cannot totally replace the ripeness that is attained during a glorious August. Now, Château Margaux has acquired even more finesse, without losing any of that classic tight-knit tannic structure which bodes so well for excellent ageing.
What the critics say...
Robert Parker: 93 points(01/04/2005)
Performing better from bottle than at any time in cask (which of course is the objective of great winemaking, isn’t it?), this wine reveals a dense ruby/purple color in a style somewhat reminiscent of the 1988 but with more power, concentration, and volume. It has a beautifully elegant nose of black fruits intermixed with truffle, flower, and oak. The wine is medium to full-bodied, dense, with wonderful precision, freshness, and a long, full-bodied finish with impressive levels of concentration. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.
Pairing: Aged Cheese, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Legume, Roasts, Stews.
It is difficult to sum up in a few lines the long and splendid history of the estate. It could perhaps be entitled 'There was once an estate called Château Margaux'. It was already known in the 12th century and at that time had the name 'La Mothe de Margaux' but there were not yet any vines.... In 1152, Eleanor, the heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine, married Henry Plantagenet, the future King Henry II of England; and so Aquitaine was to belong to England until 1453 (the illustration here shows the surrender of the town of Bordeaux to the .... French !, in October 1453, at the end of the Hundred Years War). This was a real blessing for the wines of Bordeaux, which then found their way straight onto the English market. Richard the Lionheart, the son of Eleanor and Henry II, adopted claret as his everyday drinking. The successive owners of La Mothe de Margaux were of course important people belonging to the nobility, but it was only when the Lestonnac family took over, that the estate started to resemble what it is today. Pierre de Lestonnac succeeded in 10 years, from 1572 to 1582, in completely restructuring the property and in so doing anticipated the future development of the Médoc which was to start abandoning the cultivation of cereal crops in favour of vines. By the end of the 17th century, Château Margaux covered 265 hectares (654 acres), a surface area which it never abandoned thereafter, a third of which was devoted to vine-growing, as is the case today. The English and Dutch drank claret, a wine which was still quite pale and did not age very well. Château Margaux became a high place in the art of making wine, and the hierarchy between the different Bordeaux growths began to appear. Château Margaux had been born. So, how best to sum up Château Margaux at the beginning of this 21st century ? What is its place in the world ? What are the preoccupations and ambitions of the men (and women) who seek ever more perfect results ? Whilst the recent boom in Bordeaux wine and the rise to prominence of many wine regions in different countries have brought Margaux closer to the realities of competition, they have also enabled it to underline its unique positioning as a First Great Classified Growth, benefiting from a terroir that has been worked and shaped throughout the centuries. But this does not mean we are resting on our laurels. It would be tedious to list all the investments, great and small, that have been made at the estate over the last 25 years. There is no question either, of revolutionizing the way we work, when old managers and owners have produced, in spite of their relative technical ignorance, such wonderful wines as 1900 and 1961 ! It is more a question of being worthy of the heritage of Château Margaux, whilst constantly bringing what we do into question so as to improve, to perfect what still can be made more perfect, in keeping with this unique heritage, which is Château Margaux. The strengthening of the estate management team in 1990 with the arrival of Philippe Bascaules, an agricultural engineeer, like Paul Pontallier, and the creation in 2000 of a post for research and development, are moves in this direction : to be worthy of the history of Château Margaux whilst progressing in the minutest details, so as never to disappoint wine enthusiasts anywhere in the world. You who have come onto our website to read these pages, or you who have some bottles of Château Margaux in your cellar : we want you to know that you give us our stimulation.
Alcohol abuse can be dangerous.
