The 2014 Chateau Margaux is deep garnet-brick in color. Scents of warm cassis, black cherries, and dried mulberries pop from the glass, with hints of iron ore and forest floor plus a waft of candied violets. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant and energetic, with compelling mineral accents and super-ripe, fine-grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant. This is beautiful!
The 2014 Château Margaux, has a fragrant bouquet with blackberry, graphite and light violet aromas. This feels very refined, very Margaux as banal as that sounds. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, quite precise tannin. This is an unreservedly understated First Growth, more masculine then I remember from barrel and just after bottling, firming up a little for the long-haul. In some ways, the higher Cabernet Sauvignon renders this a little more Pauillac-like in flavour profile, although it has the finesse that is synonymous with this estate. Excellent. Tasted at the property. 2025 - 2055
The purity of cabernet sauvignon fruit is what impresses here. Subtle and energetic plum and currant aromas follow through to a gorgeously harmonized palate of wonderful fruit and an ultra-long finish. Current bush and light earth adds to the complexity. Lasts for minutes. Drink in 2022.
Bright, glowing crimson. Very subtle, quite evolved nose. Far from intense but perfumed and relatively light. Fresher than the Pavillon Rouge. The acidity and tannin are more obvious in this than in the Pavillon Rouge. Quite transparent. Just a step up from the second wine but not a standout. Beautiful texture. Very refined and slow to open out. Recalls the build of a top red bordeaux from the 1960s and 1970s. 13.2% Drink 2026-2046
Since the early 1980's Margaux has produced many excellent vintages under the assured direction of Paul Pontallier. It is always impressive, whilst remaining fine and elegant. Margaux is certainly the most stylish and sophisticated of the First Growths. Quality is maintained here by a rigorous selection process and since 2009 there has been a third wine (Margaux de Margaux) produced as well as the popular second wine Pavillon Rouge. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 5% Merlot. The Grand Vin will make up 36% of the total harvest. Medium-deep ruby colour. Intense floral nose with black and red cherries and a little graphite and blackcurrant. Very elegant and perfumed with a little toasted brioche from the oak. Intense and lifted on the palate with plush, fleshy and supple blackcurrant fruit and lively acidity. Precise and with supreme balance this is a very elegant wine with a real flourish of complexity on the finish from sweet spice, dried flowers and ripe forest fruits. Very fine and elegant.
The grand vin from the Mentzelopoulos family and late manager Paul Pontallier is the 2014 Château Margaux which checks in as a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, as always, raised in 100% new barrels, and represents a scant 36% of the total production from the estate. A regal, classy, and nuanced beauty, its ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a terrific perfume of cassis, licorice, spicy oak, sandalwood and a hint of vanilla. With a beautiful core of sweet fruit, ripe, polished tannin, no hard edges, and a great finish, this full-bodied 2014 shows the classy, elegant style of the vintage brilliantly. Give bottles 5-7 years and it should deliver plenty of pleasure over the following three decades. 2023 - 2053
This is solidly packed, with layers of warm fig bread, plum compote and black currant preserves, carried by a silky yet substantial structure. As the fruit plays out, the anise, black tea and singed alder notes in the background come into clearer focus, giving this remarkable range. Everything glides beautifully through the suave, gently toasty finish. Best from 2020 through 2035. 10,835 cases made.
The nose has lots of charm fragrant with a floral mix the start of the palate light and fresh. Ripe fruit gives mid richness fine tannins a fleshy suppleness plush the sweetness and ripeness at the back give way to fresh black fruits on the finish. 2027-40
Paul Pontallier thinks his 2014 is "better balanced" than his 2005 and "not that far off in quality", which is high praise. This is a very polished, charming Margaux, with impressive perfume, a backbone of tannin and acidity and transparent raspberry and cassis notes. The 100% new oak is deftly handled.
The 2014 Château Margaux represents 36% of the year’s total production and is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Affording the glass five to ten minutes to open, the aromatics are very similar to those expressed out of barrel, those dark cherries and violets, tightly wound at first but unfurling beautifully and seemingly with each swirl of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and it appears to have fomented a little more finesse during its élevage. There is wonderful mineral tension and dash of spiciness on the persistent finish. There remains some tightness here, the implication that this is a Château Margaux determined to give long-term pleasure. Therefore, do not be afraid to give it a decade in the cellar. Drink date 2024 - 2050
The Château Margaux 2014, represents 36% of the year’s total production and is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. It has a distinctly floral bouquet, those trademark wilted violet scents soaring from the glass flanked by small dark cherries and a hint of cassis. It gains intensity in the glass but never puts the pedal to the floor. The palate is full-bodied with firm and bold tannins, very good density and presence. No, compared to the top flight vintages from the estate, it is unlikely to become a Château Margaux of compelling precision or finesse. Unusually for 2014 this is a grand vin bestowed with power and dimension. There is still a little tightness here, especially on the Pauillac-like finish, but it will turn into a great if not the greatest Château Margaux. Drink: 2019 - 2040.
This is a very, very muscular and toned Margaux with currants, firm tannins and stones. Full and chewy yet polished and intense. Bright acidity yet a strong and flexed style.