2021 Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux

Only a very limited quantity of this wine is available, and sales are handled by our Account Managers. You can find out more about this service here. If you would like to hear about Bordeaux 2021 En Primeur releases, sign up here. You can browse our range of new releases here.

Cabernet Sauvignon 87%, Merlot 8%, Cabernet Franc 3%, Petit Verdot 2%

Only the vineyards that produce Margaux’s third wine were affected by frost. Mildew pressure was constant, but managed. The berries weighed in at two grams each – 100% bigger than normal. The team performed saignée on both Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), though the Merlots from their best terroirs were superb. The biggest surprise was the phenolic content, pretty much the same as in 2018-’20. This is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. There’s nothing lightweight, yet the wine has a luminosity. The bouquet is complete and dense, but with freshness peeking through with notes of mocha and pure cassis. The palate harks back to more cerebral examples of the past. Only 13.1% alcohol, this is properly three-dimensional, whilst also hinting at the sense that it also has yet another dimension. Drink 2030-2055.

Our score: 19.5/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd, April 2022