The 2006 Château Margaux remains a very youthful wine, unfurling in the decanter and glass with a deep bouquet of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, black truffles, loamy soil and nicely integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a rich and vibrant core of fruit, lively acids and refined but authoritative tannins, it's a rather powerful, elegantly muscular Margaux that's still a decade from maturity. Drink 2026-2056.
It is worth noting that when the bottled 2006 Chateau Margaux, which appeared closed and less impressive than I had predicted from barrel, was retasted alongside the remarkable 2008, I elevated my score to 94+. It does not possess the size or power of the 2008 or 2005, but the 2006 exhibits impressive density, a deeper color, and the beautifully textured, pure style that is a hallmark of this estate. Moreover, it is relatively precocious, and can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.
The 2006 Château Margaux has a sense of airiness and wonderful definition on the nose: wild strawberry, redcurrant, cedar and crushed roses soaring from the glass, but it never strives for the opulence of say the 2006 Château Palmer. The palate is very well balanced with fine and quite firm tannin in the mouth. This seems to be approaching its plateau after a decade. While not a powerful or ostentatious Château Margaux, it epitomizes understatement and refinement in a similar vein to Lafite-Rothschild. It is only after the wine has been swallowed that you appreciate its qualities and you feel urged to go back for another sip.
Very powerful and rich. Fantastic. Full, silky and structured. Yet layered and rich, with loads of mineral, violet and coffee character. Incredible. So much finesse in the nose. What a wine. Similar to the 1995, which received 100 points
Vibrant crimson. Toasty yet floral, scented nose. Lovely balance and sprightly Margaux character. Dry finish but on the way there it's lovely and dancing and polished. Transparent and delightfully balanced. Lots of ripe tannins on the finish. A very successful 2006.Drink 2014-2030.Date tasted 8th May 09.
Good deep red-ruby. Deep but reticent aromas of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, licorice and loam; I don't find the typical floral high notes of Margaux. Juicy, fine-grained and suave, with good definition and a seamless, spherical texture to the currant and soil flavors. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins, but not the grip or power of earlier barrel samples of this wine.
I was hoping the 2006 Chateau Margaux would turn out along the lines of the 1996, but that is not the case. It appears to be the least of the first-growth Medocs in 2006. The color is a medium dark ruby that lightens at the rim, and the bouquet offers classic, but evolved Margaux aromas of sweet currants, licorice, forest floor, and earth. Medium-bodied with dry tannin in the finish, it does not possess the profound concentration found in the truly sublime vintages of Chateau Margaux (i.e., 2005, 2000, 1996, 1990, 1983, and 1982). This mid-weight effort requires 5-7 years of cellaring, and should age for 20-25 years.
The strictest selection ever instituted at this estate resulted in only 36% of the crop being utilized for the blend of 2006 Chateau Margaux. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, it is similar to the 1996, but with sweeter, more seductive fruit in the nose. A big, tannic, dense effort displaying terrific purity, power, elegance, and a distinctive mineral/flower component, it is a medium to full-bodied wine of great nobility that should be at its finest between 2017-2050+.
Tasted at Margaux. Representing just 36% of the crop and consisting of a whopping 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest proportion ever, this is a bold, masculine Château Margaux. A limpid purple/black hue. The nose is tight with blackberry and blueberries, harmonious with night on perfect acidity. Firm grip, cedar and a touch of graphite, yet I find this to be an exemplary expression of Cabernet, rather than an exemplary expression of Château Margaux, the latter being the greater. Like Latour, just missing that explosion of fruit on the finish. A superb wine, but handicapped by under-performing Merlot. Tasted April 2007.
36% of total crop went into this grand vin, with just 4% Merlot. The strength is 13% ("we never want to make more alcohol than this" according to Paul Pontallier.) 3.37 TA, 5 in tarartic, pH 3.7, IPT 71 (IPT in 2000 was 70).
Mid crimson. SO much riper and more appetising and fuller than the Pavillon Rouge on the nose! Pretty complete already with lovely balance and lift, though the acidity is certainly notable, even if the tannins are wonderfully mellow. Very polite and unforced. Dancing - reminds Paul Pontallier of 1996 with a little less density but just as much charm. Very Margaux. This is the Cabernet of Margaux (not of Pauillac NB...) Graceful though only for certain palates. Follows through. Great line, as the Australians would say. Quite distinctive and much much more delicate than the early vintages of Margaux from the new regime here in the 1980s. Very fresh and elegant - quite a gamble in a way. Very, very fine tannins. Bone dry. Will always be in elegant idiom.
Bright ruby-red. Blueberry, boysenberry and violet on the pure nose. Lively and minerally on entry, then really expands in the middle palate to show terrific density with any loss of clarity. Wonderfully classy, vibrant and long, with compelling subtle sweetness of fruit. Finishes with outstanding depth and length. Although this wine was fined in January and racked just a month before I tasted it, it was far easier to taste than was my earlier barrel sample last spring.
