Château Margaux, 1er Cru Classé, Margaux, 2023
Aurélien explained that 2023 was the first year of organic conversion at Chateaux Margaux. After an excellent flowering there was a big mildew pressure, but in the end mildew wasn't the biggest problem as they can now treat the entire estate in just five hours. More challenging were the heatwaves at the end of August and the beginning of September which caused a bit of sunburn, accounting for 10% of the crop. The resulting wines have the "ripeness and texture of a warm vintage with the freshness and purity of a cool year.” Quite taciturn initially, with aeration it reveals some gentle florality, notes of stones and fine cigar tobacco. This is even more sophisticated (than Pavillon) from a textual standpoint. Absolute cashmere, the softest, most refined touch, natural and genteel. The fruit is tightly wound with glorious contours. Purple and red fruits interplay with spices and flowers. A very stylish, pure and elegant Margaux. A ravishing wine with so much detail - one senses this is very much the tip of the iceberg. A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot with a moderate 13% of alcohol.
critic reviews
The 2023 Château Margaux, which was bottled at the beginning of July, is a supremely gifted wine for the vintage. It unfolds in the glass with precise, quite mineral-driven black cherry and blueberry fruit, the patina of new oak suggesting it will require six or seven years in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a satin-like texture that lends this First Growth weightlessness, yet paradoxically, there is still impressive concentration and persistence. This was so seductive in barrel and it has lost none of that in bottle.
The 2023 Chateau Margaux, accounting for 41% of this year's crop, is deep garnet-purple in color. A little shy to begin, it needs some swirling before notes of black cherries, blackcurrant pastilles, and anise emerge from the glass, leading to suggestions of fragrant soil, lilacs, and cardamom with a touch of iron ore. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly crafted, with fabulous tension creating an exhilarating sense of energy in the mouth, offset by firm fine-grained tannins to support the vibrant red and black berry layers, finishing long and perfumed. So fragrant and graceful, this could only be Chateau Margaux! The blend is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot, with pH 3.60. "There is a little more Cabernet Franc this year. More and more has been making it into the First Wine. We have been grafting over some vines to Cabernet Franc and planting more."
Vibrant peony and ruby red colour, this hums with movement and energy through the palate, a complex bloom of lavendar and white rose flowers, fresh and dense at the same time. Classical Margaux, with the savoury quality of the best wines of the year, a ton of fine tannins with a reserved sculpted architecture. The drinkability of this vintage is such a welcome return, and this is exceptionally good quality, and a real pleasure to taste. Superb winemaking from Philippe Bascaules. 41hl/h yield (compared to 25hl/h last year), 41% of the production in this 1st wine.
The 2023 Chateau Margaux shows considerable promise, unfurling in the glass with aromas of cassis, violets, spring flowers and sweet tobacco, framed by a deft touch of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's taut, concentrated and classically structured, with sweet, refined tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, mouthwatering finish. It's a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that attained 13% alcohol.