Chateau Margaux   Margaux

2005 Margaux

By Chateau Margaux

The 2005 Margaux from Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux

Indubitably, the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux has been lauded as monumental – a year where the vignerons witnessed nature’s largess, balanced with their own meticulous craft. In this harmonious dance of elements and expertise, the 2005 Margaux from Chateau Margaux emerges as a paragon amongst its contemporaries.

 

A Vintage Crowned by Nature

2005 in Bordeaux was marked by an extended summer that bequeathed to the grapes an optimal maturity, engendering wines of prodigious complexity and depth. The Margaux appellation, known for its finesse and opulent aromatics, benefitted profoundly from these climatic serendipities. The result? A 2005 Margaux from Chateau Margaux that encapsulates the essence of its terroir with a regal bearing.

 

Eminently Investable: A Connoisseur's Treasure

As I experienced this claret’s profound bouquet, laced with ripe dark fruits and deft touches of violet and licorice, it dawned upon me the stately elegance that defines this wine. On the palate, it parades with a lavish texture, yet remains astutely balanced—a testimony to its ageing potential. Investors will cogitate upon its assured cellar worthiness—a wise anchorage in any portfolio of fine wines.

Fine tannins weave through a pliable structure, delicately bolstered by oak maturation that does not besiege but charmingly complements the fruit. The finish lingers languorously, much like the contemplative silence that follows a profound symphony.

In summing up this titanic offering, suffice it to say that the 2005 Margaux from Chateau Margaux stands distinguished—a requisite addition to any discerning investor or collector whose aspirations are to possess a slice of vinous history. It’s one of those rare incarnations where Bordeaux's magnanimous climate coalesces with human artistry to author a narrative within the bottle—one whose chapters will unfurl gracefully across decades.

Current market price

$11,917.13

12x75cl

Highest score

100

POP score

356.95

Scores and tasting notes

100

The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don't touch this until after 2015. 

James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, November 20th 2010

100

Tasted single blind at Southwold. The crystalline nose here is primal, backward, takes some coaxing from the glass: blackberry, bilberry, briary, graphite and a spellbinding sense of mineralite. The palate is beautifully balanced with svelte tannins. Touches of sandalwood inflecting the pure fruit, deftly integrated new oak; incredible length once again. Despite the vice-like grip on the finish there is a feminine quality to this wine. Quite simply: it takes your breath away. Perfection. Drink 2015-2040+ Tasted January 2009.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2009

98

The first-growth 2005 Château Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45+ seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5-10 years and last at least 25 or more years.

Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2015

98+

Another celestial effort from Paul Pontallier and Corinne Mentzelopoulus, the 2005 Margaux, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, boasts a dense opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of spring flowers, blueberries, black raspberries, creme de cassis, licorice, and, despite its having spent two years in 100% new wood, only a subtle touch of toasty oak. Although full-bodied, the wine seems light on its feet because of the silky tannins as well as the great gravel terroir from which it comes. Beautiful purity, length, and nobility define this modern day classic. Is it better than the 2000, 1996, 1990, or some of the vintages from the decade of the eighties? Who knows, but it is unquestionably one of the all-time great wines made at Chateau Margaux. This estate has produced only exceptional wines over the last three decades. The seamlessness of the 2005 suggests it will perform well early, but it should last for a half century or more. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2050+.

Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #176 April 2008

Vintage performance