Château Margaux 2015

It ideally embodies all the elegance and freshness, the distinctive nobility of great Margaux, purity, breed, complexity, freshness, and length.

A beautiful perfumed fragrance on the nose, full of violets and mixed berries. Lovely purity of flavour on the palate, bright, lifted and lively. Super fresh acidity yet there is also a full tannic structure giving backbone and length. Characterful and supremely drinkable with an enjoyable zing to the finish.

The 2015 Château Margaux, presented in a truly stunning engraved bottle, delivers an equally impressive bouquet of blackberry, pencil box and delicate sous-bois notes, less minty than I remember from a few years ago. The palate shows exquisite balance and poise, with fresh red and black fruit intertwined, then hints of curry leaf and light tobacco emerging towards a composed, almost understated finish. Utter class. Tasted at the 2015 Ten-Year-On tasting at Bordeaux Index.

Deep, shiny, dark ruby in color, this rocks as soon as the wine is out of the gate—or should I say out of the bottle and into your glass. Cherry blossoms and lilacs make it feel like you’re in a flower shop. On the palate, the wine is rich, full-bodied and concentrated, yet light on its feet. The purity of the fruit is off the charts. There’s a sensual, textural quality that makes you reach for another sip, to be sure the experience is real—and because it’s so good! The wine stands as a testament to Paul Pontallier, in many ways a culmination of his life’s work.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicate tobacco and fine core cherry fruit with a SAVOURY undertone, delicate nougat and candied orange zest, a multi-faceted and inviting bouquet. Juicy, extract-sweet, ripe cherries, silky sweetness, great finesse, simply incredibly delicate and long-lasting. Presented in the exceptional set with a silk-screen label as “Hommage à Paul Pontallier.” (2019).

The grand vin is the 2015 Château Margaux and it’s as good a wine as I’ve ever tasted. Coming from just over one-third of the total production and a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and the balance Petit Verdot, brought up in 100% new French oak, its deep ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, toasted spice, hints of toasty oak, and cedar wood. Incredibly elegant and finesse-driven, yet packed with fruit, depth, richness, and structure, it has as much class as you can fit inside a glass. While the vintage provides plenty of upfront charm, this is a wine to cellar for at least a decade, and enjoy over the following 40+ years.

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Only one third of the production was selected as the Grand Vin. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with violet highlights on the rim. Sweet bouquet with a hint of freshly picked berries and dried fruits, a nuance of grenadine, cooked cherries, and fine lactic notes that lend the expansive bouquet a wonderfully refined fullness. On the palate, silky and elegant with a velvety texture, and again those sweet, almost seductive red berries in lavish form. It’s worth noting that Cabernet usually dilutes the blend, as Merlot tends to show higher alcohol levels. Here, the Cabernet lots were over 13% abv, which is not the norm. A regal Margaux with great finesse. At first its power may be underestimated, but it inevitably reveals itself in the forceful finish.

87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Only one third of the production was selected as the Grand Vin. Deep purple-garnet, dense at the core, with lilac glints at the rim. Sweet bouquet with a hint of freshly picked berries and also dried fruit, a touch of grenadine, stewed cherries, and fine lactic notes that lend this expansive bouquet a wonderful yet elegant fullness. On the palate, silky and elegant with a velvety texture, again those sweet, alluring red berries in generous display. It’s worth noting that Cabernet usually dilutes the blend because Merlot tends to reach higher alcohol levels. Here, the Cabernet lots were above 13% alcohol by volume, which is not the norm. A regal Margaux with plenty of finesse. You hardly notice its power at first, but you sense it in the forceful finish. Tasting this Château Margaux was emotionally very difficult for me. Since 1989, the director Paul Pontallier always stood beside me. Every year. Without interruption. He always let me taste in peace, then we talked about the wine. He appreciated my reflections, was even curious to hear what I thought about the new protégé. This year, Paul Pontallier was no longer with us. Just a week before the en primeur week, he succumbed to cancer. Merci Paul – au revoir!

(87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot) Concentrated, mineral, complex, fresh bouquet with assorted berries, mulberries, tobacco, currants, truffle, mint, grains. Densely woven, layered, elegant, velvety palate with powerful fruit, plenty of fine tannins, compressed, diverse aromatics, dense, finely muscled structure, very long, airy, full finish with many lingering aromas. Still has room to improve. 19/20 2024 - 2050

Expansive, fleshy raspberry and damson fruits that narrow through the palate as the minerality, slate and crushed rock texture comes to the fore. Expertly put together, showing beautifully at the 10-year point but with a long life ahead; this is exceptional, the very definition of soft power. The bottle is engraved with Hommage à Paul Pontallier, as this was the final vintage for Margaux's legendary director (it also marked the opening of the new cellar, although the second vintage vinified within it). This was a 100-point wine for me En Primeur and it continues to deliver at the highest level. 100% new oak for ageing.

Chateau Margaux 2015 has a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot and is deep garnet in color. It is very closed and shy to begin, eventually opening out to beautiful warm cassis, black raspberries, and notes of dried mulberries, followed by hints of tobacco leaf, crushed rocks, and dried lavender, with a touch of Ceylon tea. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and seductive, featuring grainy tannins and bright, bold acidity, finishing epically long and layered. The tannins are just a touch "al dente" compared with the 2016, but this is nonetheless gorgeous. This vintage is packaged in a beautiful commemorative bottle honoring winemaker Paul Pontellier, who passed away in 2016. The gold-etched black bottle bears the message, “Hommage à Paul Pontellier” at the bottom. This 2015 is an evocative swan song from a gifted winemaker, taken from us too soon.

After bottling, the 2015 confirms its greatness. It is driven by Cabernet of incredible pedigree, combining silkiness with aromatic intensity. The finish unfolds in waves and seems endless, with perfectly integrated tannins.

The color is a deep garnet with an intense nose of blackcurrant fruit and leaf. The wine is very compact, firm, exceptionally dense, fairly tannic, with a slight stiffness that will fade during élevage. Splendid, very mentholated finish. 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. The grand vin accounts for 35% of the harvest with an agronomic yield of around 40 hl/ha. It clearly ranks among the great Margaux in history, alongside the 1953.

Deep purple with violet highlights. An intense, complex, sublime bouquet marked by finesse. A superb burst of fruit with subtle notes of red and black berries and a touch of liquorice. I also find a Burgundian nod, if I may say, with a hint of morello cherries. Juicy, elegant attack. On the palate, the wine unfolds with great delicacy and shows a measured power—the key to this vintage. The tannins reveal themselves very slowly, settling on the finish, while the acidic structure stands guard, lending freshness and promise. Creamy yet vibrant character. A wine of paradox, harmony, and power. It reaches the peak of its strength on the finish, which is, of course, endless. A convincing wine, just as it was en primeur. Very moving.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases) Dark, intense, even and youthful color. Highly aromatic nose with ripe fruit and an unprecedented suave character for this age at château Margaux, as in 2009. Supple on the attack, then immediately very flavorful, the wine begins by caressing the palate before showing tannic, which is rare in this cru. The flavor is slightly truffled and, on the finish, a sense of oak firms up the whole. Even so, the grain of the tannin remains fine. A curious behavior. At first glance, this bottle seems a little less good than it should be.

A wine of rare elegance, with aromas of dark fruits and an exceptional long finish.

Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine shows a wonderful black-currant purity on the palate, along with intense, vibrant acidity. The background is all tannin, which speaks to its aging potential. This wine is the last vintage produced by Paul Pontallier, who was general manager from 1990 until his death in 2016. It's a memorable wine and one for aging. Drink from 2027.