Ch.Margaux 1996 750ml

Wine Advocate #227, Oct 29, 2016
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s.

Château Margaux , a 1er Cru Classé property, has been owned by the Mentzelopoulos family since 1978 - since then it has consistently produced the finest wines in the Médoc.
Château Margaux is a large 90 hectare property which produces over 30,000 cases per year and is located in the centre of the Margaux appellation. The vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Merlot 20%, Cabernet Franc 2%, Petit Verdot 3%) lie on a sandy-stone topsoil, beneath which is to be found gravel and then clay. The wine is fermented in a mixture of stainless steel vats and oak casks and is matured for 18 months in 100% new oak barriques.
Château Margaux produces sublime and immaculately crafted clarets which display extraordinary fragrance, refinement and a ravishingly seductive perfume. In the past, the wine was described as feminine in character but in the last twenty years Château Margaux has displayed more weight and concentration and today represents the perfect balance between finesse and power.

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