Chateau Margaux   Margaux

2010 Margaux

By Chateau Margaux

2010 Margaux from Chateau Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux

The 2010 vintage from Bordeaux was met with well-deserved fanfare, and none more so than the laudable 2010 Margaux from Chateau Margaux. This year's offering delineates itself as one with astounding complexity and a profound capability for aging, set magnificently against the backdrop of a particularly favourable season in Bordeaux.

 

An Exemplar of Excellence

The harmonious blend of power and elegance in the 2010 Margaux from Chateau Margaux is a testament to an exceptional season, and a fortuitous alignment of climatic conditions that favoured the region's varietals. The celestial choreography of sunlight and shower glazed these noble vines in near-mythical terroir, imparting upon the grapes an enviable balance of ripeness and acidity.

 

A Tapestry of Terroir

Symphony is apt to describe the taste profile of this opulent red. The palate is graced with layers of blackberry, graphite, and violet; hints of cigar box and licorice dance alongside to craft a textural monograph that speaks fluently of its ancestry. The tannins are assertive yet silky, providing the structural heft that heralds tremendous aging potential—a critical factor for prudent wine investment.

The 2010 Margaux's grandeur unfolds slowly, thoughtfully, echoing the patience required to truly appreciate such an intricate composition. To imbibe this wine is to participate in a rite of passage that has graced palates since the estate’s establishment.

 

Investing in Liquid Luxury

The reputation of Chateau Margaux's cornerstone offering endures without pretence. For collectors and investors alike, this wine represents not only a sensory journey but also an investment foray into the annals of viticultural nobility. With liberality in time, one finds not just evolution but apotheosis—the 2010 Margaux from Chateau Margaux transcends vintages past with a resplendent expression all its own. It is an oenophilic odyssey that promises both pleasure and profit for those discerning enough to partake.

In conclusion, the 2010 vintage is one for the archives - a treasury of tastes bound by time and tradition, waxing ever brighter in the cellars of those who seek out its cultivated elegance.

Current market price

£6,560.00

12x75cl

Highest score

100

POP score

328

Scores and tasting notes

100

This was phenomenal from barrel and remains so. The aromas are spellbinding. It smells like a bouquet of pink roses and then goes to currants, berries and citrus. Full body, with wonderfully refined tannins. It starts discretely and then grows to different levels and dimensions like a slow but big high tide. The texture is so beautiful. Try it in 2020 or beyond.

James Suckling - jamessuckling.com, November 14th 2013

99

The Grand Vin is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 1.5% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Bottled in late July, Paul Pontallier reminded me that the Grand Vin takes around six months before it settles down. Still, allowing several minutes aeration, it has a very intense bouquet of dark cherries, boysenberry, crushed stone and a hint of bay leaf that is beautifully defined, but as Paul mentioned, will need a months to blossom. The palate has a beguiling sense of symmetry: spine-tingling poise and tension. This is a magisterial Chateau Margaux with seamlessly integrated oak, pure dark berry fruit and an almost breathless, Burgundy-like purity on the satin textured finish. Utterly seductive, this is an incredible wine that will age for decades. Tasted November 2012.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Mar 2013

99

The 2010 is a brilliant Chateau Margaux, as one might expect in this vintage. The percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend hit 90%, the balance Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and only 38% of the crop made it into the Chateau Margaux. Paul Pontallier, the administrator, told me that this wine has even higher levels of tannin than some other extraordinary vintages such as 2005, 2000, 1996, etc. Deep purple, pure and intense, with floral notes, tremendous opulence and palate presence, this is a wine of considerable nobility. With loads of blueberry, black currant and violet-infused fruit and a heady alcohol level above 13.5% (although that looks modest compared to several other first growths, particularly Chateau Latour and Chateau Haut-Brion), its beautifully sweet texture, ripe tannin, abundant depth and profound finish all make for another near-perfect wine that should age effortlessly for 30-40 years.

Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #194 May 2011

98

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Château Margaux features notions of minted blackcurrants, new leather and Black Forest cake with nuances of sautéed herbs, tar, underbrush and wild fungi plus a waft of cedar. Full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the taut, muscular fruit, finishing long and earthy.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 5 March 2020

Vintage performance