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  • Country ranking ?

    9
  • Producer ranking ?

    1
  • Decanting time

    1h
  • When to drink

    Now
  • Food Pairing

    Enjoy without food

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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A SOTHEBY’S AUCTION EXCLUSIVELY DEDICATED TO CHÂTEAU MARGAUX WINES / An extensive collection of wines, drawn directly from our cellars, from the 1900 vintage up to the present day has been put up for auction. It is the first time in the history of Château Margaux that an auction has been entirely dedicated to our wines. The sale, which was organised last Saturday by Sotheby’s Wine, in New York, was a remarkable success. The entirety of the 239 lots, which had an estimated value of $1.4 million, was sold for a total of $2.8 million! Among the lots offered for sale were exceptionally rare vintages such as those of 1900, 1929, 1945, 1953, 1961, 1982 and 1990. A balthazar of Château Margaux 2009, estimated price between $30 000 and $50 000, was greeted with incredible enthusiasm and sold for $98 000. The auction surpassed all our expectations! A bottle of Château Margaux 1900, a legendary vintage, sold for $61 250, six times its lower estimate! This sale paid great homage to Château Margaux, as well as to the Mentzelopoulos family, owners since 1977.

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The Story

Since the 17th Century, the first wine of Château Margaux has been recognised as being one of the greatest wines in the entire world. It owes its unique qualities to the genius of its terroir as well as to the passionate work of a succession of generations. It’s a remarkable wine that comes from a combination of characteristics that are only rarely found: finesse, elegance, complexity, density, intensity, length and freshness. Although its tannic concentration may be exceptional, it’s rare to detect astringency.  

The great vintages are distinguished by their formidable ability to move us. The lesser vintages give pleasure to wise enthusiasts. They offer the advantage of evolving very rapidly and, reveal, after a few years, instead of power, this subtlety that is the prerogative of great terroirs.  Château Margaux has an extraordinary ability to evolve. Over the years, it has developed a finesse, an aromatic complexity and a remarkable presence on the palate.

 

Château Margaux has sought to achieve excellence in its wines for over 400 years now through painstaking and necessarily long studies of its terroir, through a constant desire to learn and innovate, by remaining sensitive to demanding markets, and above all through a passionate commitment that has been shared by the families that have succeeded each other at the estate. At the end of the 17th century, it became part of the nascent elite “First Growths” – long before being established officially by the Classification of 1855. Since then, Château Margaux has known fame and fortune, seeing by experience how ephemeral both are.

The estate has 200 acres under vine. Each plot and each variety are treated differently from pruning throughout the growing season. Chateau Margaux’ goal is to nurture and maintain vines for as long as possible, as they believe vines need to reach 20 years of age to produce great wine. The estate is constantly trying to understand through experimentation how to improve soil health and fruit quality. Today, no insecticides are used, there is an important balance of healthy insects to counter pests, and any number of experiments with ploughing, organic farming, and biodynamic applications are ongoing. A final key point to note, Margaux has for the last 30+ years had among the lowest yields in the Medoc.

The wine was aged for 15 months, in 10% new oak and 90% second use barrels. Because of the particularities of the vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon made up an extremely high 88% of the blend, with Merlot only 12% of the blend. Importantly, the wine is held in bottle until ready to drink, which may not mean that vintages are released sequentially.

 

 

 

 

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Wine Information

The Vintage Report by Château Margaux: The legendary 1900 ! The century began with an extraordinary harvest both in terms of quantity and quality. 1900 is firstly a record volume of wine, which was equalled only in 1982 ! There had been several bumper years previously, in 1896 and 1893. 1900 though, was legendary for its quality ! Despite the huge volume, this wine was of a power and concentration that have rarely been matched. This vintage aroused immediate excitement and eclipsed the fantastic 1899.

Weather
A wonderful year, which benefited from a very hot summer as well as very fine weather during the harvest. (Picking began 24th September)


 

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Vintage 1900

The legendary 1900 ! The century began with an extraordinary harvest both in terms of quantity and quality. 1900 is firstly a record volume of wine, which was equalled only in 1982 ! There had been several bumper years previously, in 1896 and 1893. 1900 though, was legendary for its quality ! Despite the huge volume, this wine was of a power and concentration that have rarely been matched. This vintage aroused immediate excitement and eclipsed the fantastic 1899  by Château Margaux:

Weather
A wonderful year, which benefited from a very hot summer as well as very fine weather during the harvest. (Picking began 24th September)

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Average Bottle Price

2020 2017 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2005 2000 1995
15 400€ -17.0% 18 554€ +43.1% 12 966€ +39.1% 9 322€ +3.1% 9 040€ +6.2% 8 510€ +11.2% 7 655€ +138.4% 3 211€ +11.6% 2 877€ +52.2% 1 890€

This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.

Tasting note

color

Deep, Brick red and Dark

ending

Long, Lingering and Extensive

flavors

Blackcurrant, Truffles, Leather, Voluptuous, Earthy and Nutty

nose

Intense, Complex, Refined and Generous

recommend

Yes

taste

Average in Acidity, Warming, Medium tannin, Perfectly balanced, Complex, Concentrated, Mature, Medium-bodied, Refined, Harmonious, Silky, Medium-Dry and Silky tannins

Verdict

Masterpiece and Outstanding

Written Notes

The third and final wine of this flight had a very oaky nose, a bit offensive with its wood at first, possessing lots of cedar and eucalyptus that was over-aggressive. Big Boy grumbled how I never like this wine, anyway. Some fruit and garden aromas tried to fight through. Its palate was more, well, palatable with nice round, plum flavors. The wood started to blow off, and the wine became richer and more concentrated in the glass, ultimately revealing some great concentration. This was a wine that needed more time in the glass, and that is the one disadvantage about these scenarios where lots of wines are served in only tasting pours. However, it is better to have loved and lost, as they say. The oak got less and less, and the finish became downright explosive in this 1900 Margaux. The Margaux was also a Nicolas Reserve bottling, completing the trilogy of this esteemed first flight. It was also from a high-to-mid shoulder filled bottle
  • 93p
The legendary 1900 ! The century began with an extraordinary harvest both in terms of quantity and quality. 1900 is firstly a record volume of wine, which was equalled only in 1982 ! There had been several bumper years previously, in 1896 and 1893. 1900 though, was legendary for its quality ! Despite the huge volume, this wine was of a power and concentration that have rarely been matched. This vintage aroused immediate excitement and eclipsed the fantastic 1899. Discovering a comparable quality in the 2000 vintage was a particularly emotional moment for us... Today, Château Margaux 1900 still has an extraordinary freshness. It is one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. The bouquet has incomparable finesse, with amazing hints of fresh fruit. On the palate, there is a fabulous impression of richness and smoothness; the finish is long, delicious and refreshing. Simply wonderful... A wonderful year, which benefited from a very hot summer as well as very fine weather during the harvest. (Picking began 24th September)
  • 100p

The 1900 Château Margaux Deuxième Vin has a conspicuously deep colour with just thin bricking on the rim. The bouquet blossoms in the glass without prompting: almost plush black fruit, cassis, wilted violet petals and just a hint of clove. As Broadbent himself notes, it has a velvety texture, almost plush in style, ineffably pure with layers of ripe black fruit mixed with kirsch and blood orange. Its sheer volume and audacity defies the passing of time, to wit, a centurion with more vim and vigor than many a half, a quarter or a tenth of its age. Is there a splash of Hermitage here? Who cares when a wine tastes this good at this age.

  • 98p

oday, Château Margaux 1900 still has an extraordinary freshness. It is one of the greatest wines we have ever tasted. The bouquet has incomparable finesse, with amazing hints of fresh fruit. On the palate, there is a fabulous impression of richness and smoothness; the finish is long, delicious and refreshing. Simply wonderful...

Barton & Guestier bottling with an Alexandria, VA, back label. Recorked in 1999. The bottle had apparently come from a cellar in England via importers Schneider of Capitol Hill. Rather muddy nose. Dark and rusty. Nose a little muted. This is a powerful relic and a little chewy on the finish. Robust - amazing concentration. Polished and some Margaux satin texture. Dry finish. Marks for longevity rather than the transports of delight it inspired. A little dusty.

  • 93p
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Information

Origin

Margaux, Bordeaux

Soil

: gravelly, clay-limestone

Vineyard size

82ha

Grapes

20% Merlot
80% Cabernet Sauvignon

Age of vines

45

Vintage Quality

Outstanding

Value For Money

Very good

When bottled

1902-03

Investment potential

Excellent

Fake factory

Too Risky

Glass time

1h

Drinking temperature

16

Inside Information

Wine Advocate #80
Apr 1992
Robert M. Parker, Jr. 100 Drink: 1992 - 2030 $15393
Last Tasted 3/92

This is one of this century's most renowned wines. I had it only once before, at a vertical tasting of Margaux wines in Paris, and there it was everything it should have been. Interestingly, it was originally thought to lack aging potential because it was so drinkable by the time it was ten or twelve years old. The production of 1900 Margaux was in excess of 30,000 cases, which is nearly identical to what was produced in 1982, a wine with shockingly similar acidity, alcohol, and extraction levels. Will the 1982 last 100 years? I know few readers will ever get a chance to taste the 1900 Margaux. If the truth be known, most old wines are disappointing. As I have said before, many of my English colleagues to often eulogize wines that taste thin and vinegary. The fact that a wine was made in the year the stock market crashed, or in the year World War II ended, adds to the wine's historical value, but its quality must be judged on how it tastes. This is why the 1900 Margaux is such an immortal wine. It is still young and fresh, with all the nuances and complexities that we so often hope will develop. Splendidly rich, with a perfume that must fill a room, unbelievably unctuous, opulent, and well-focused, this is a winemaking tour de force. The fact that it manages to balance power and high extraction of flavor with both finesse and elegance makes it stand out as one of the most extraordinary wines I have ever tasted. Not only will this wine live for another decade, I suspect it has the potential to last for 20-30 years into the next century. A breathtaking wine!
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