Chateau Margaux

We attended a Chateau Margaux 'Masterclass' hosted by Paul Pontallier and Alexandre Mentzelopoulus. He is charming, charismatic and knowledgeable. A shrewd businessman to boot, he imparted not just a few pearls of wisdom, but boy is he long winded. Poor Alex hardly got a word in edgeways because Monsieur Pontallier was waxing lyrical virtually the whole time, in the process subjecting us to an astonishing litany of platitudes remarkable even by French-philosopher standards. "Together we can dare to challenge ze future. " 

We had two vintages of Pavillon Blanc, two Pavillon Rouge and six vintages of the Grand Vin, including the 09 and 10' which Paul regards as his finest yet. After 30 minutes of verbal incontinence we finally got started. 

Pavillon Blanc 2011

Tropical notes with basil and other herbs. Fresh and lifted with a satisfying finish, and a touch of heat. PP reckons this is the best ever vintage. I would give it 91 points. 

Pavillon Blanc 2003

From a hot year this was a revelation. Not at all hot and bothered. Cheesiness gave way to exotic fruits and a wonderfully lush and full finish. Bit like a Viognier. 93

The Pavillon Blanc is not a second wine and only 15k bottles are produced compared to 130 k for the Grand Vin and its second wine Pavillon Rouge. These wines benefit from being drunk not too cold.

Pavillon Rouge 2010

Notes of tobacco and ash, minerally and gravelly. Elevated tannins, needs time. 89

Pavillon Rouge 2009

Hints of cassis but otherwise not showing much. But more accessible than the '10. 89

Neither of these were interesting compared too what was about to come.

Chateau Margaux 2010

A quantum leap in quality. From the first sniff you know this is something special. It moves you. You know straight away that you are in the presence of greatness. You can almost feel the earth moving beneath you. An extraordinary wine with a nose of violets, ash, charcoal, and perfectly ripe berries. But the best is yet to come. The mouth feel is so polished and silky, and the wine is so harmonious, but there is so much power there; yet the tannins are so fine. It is a wine with extraordinary breadth and depth, which fills every nook and cranny of your mouth. The finish lasts for two minutes and there is no noticeable heat. A moving experience and an extraordinary wine. The balance and finesse of this wine is astonishing. To say it is an iron fist in a velvet glove would be to do it an injustice. The greatest young wine I have ever tasted, taking away the mantle from a wine we tasted later which is now in its late adolescence. I think scoring this would be redundant. Lets just say three digits.

Chateau Margaux 2009

This had a rounder more opulent personality than the 2010. More expressive notes of ash, menthol, vanilla, berries and white flowers. The palate was opulent and scintillating, lush, mouth filling and very long. It is a fabulous wine, but at the margin it lacked the extraordinary balance, subtlety and equilibrium of the 2010. The vanilla oak was more noticeable and there was a touch of heat on the back palate, similar to Pontet Canet, a wine of similar calibre. No question this is an extraordinary wine, which Pontallier rated as his best ever at the time, but the 2010 is another step up. 98

Chateau Margaux 2008 

Still young and not far evolved, This had notes of white pepper in addition to the flowers but also a more assertive note of graphite. The tannins are quite elevated, and the finish cannot compete with the 09 and 10. Still it is a 'classic' style of Margaux. 93

Chateau Margaux 2006

This had a much more evolved colour, and was much more accessible. If you were a Palm Beach trust fund babe or basically so effing rich that you couldn't give a monkeys you could happily order this and enjoy this in a restaurant. I was really enjoying quaffing this until Monsieur Pontallier pointed out that it had a little bit of a harsh note on the back palate. He was right but you wouldn't notice that if you we're eating a ribeye. I still think it is a very nice wine; but it is clearly not a great Margaux. 92

Chateau Margaux 2001

I backed this dark horse and I was right. This is Chateau Margaux at its best. It is soft, silky and seductive, yet as fresh as a daisy. It is easy to drink now but will be even better in 20 years for those with the patience to wait. It is delicious, seductive and charming. It is smooth and gorgeous. It has no hard edges. It is a faultless wine you instantly fall in love with. 97

Chateau Margaux 1996

My favourite wine from this estate. My confidence was shaken a little by an indifferent showing in 2011 in New York but my confidence is now restored. It has barnyard initially but otherwise it is quintessentially Margaux. It has complex leafy, tobacco and cigar box notes in addition to the berry fruit, which are just to die for. It has extraordinary complexity and breadth and depth on the palate. This is a quintessential and complete Chateau Margaux, now, at age 17, in its late adolescence. Clearly the best is yet to come. But it is already extraordinary. 100.

The 1996 vintage was the first that reduced the merlot content from around 20% to around 10%. The Cabernet grown at the estate is far superior to the merlot, so that the latter is now relegated to a bit part player. 

Going back to taste the Pavilions after the Grand Vin was a huge step down. There really is a gulf in quality between the two. 

All in all an enthralling two hours. Highlights were the 10, 01 and 96. 

Dale Williams disclaimer: My scores make no claims for accuracy, consistency or fairness.