2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant Château Margaux 2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant 2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant 2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant 2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant 2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
Château Margaux
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Château Margaux - Angry Wine Merchant

2021 Chateau Margaux

Red Bordeaux Blend

France / Bordeaux / Medoc / AOC Margaux

$550
JD 97
RP 97
V 96
Size:
Quantity:

GRAND CRU CLASSÉS EN 1855, Premier Cru

2021 Chateau Margaux, Margaux, France

Since the 17th Century, the first wine of Château Margaux has been recognized 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.

The 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages were so exceptional that it would be difficult for the 2021 vintage to claim any comparison with them. During the wine-making process, we did not want to artificially extract tannins for fear it would increase the astringency. We opted instead for a gentle extraction process, and were quite pleasantly surprised at the concentration we achieved despite such a difficult growing season.

The initial tastings from the first batches of our vineyard selections, just after the fermentation process, amazed us with their density. The polyphenol content was close to, if not at the same level, as the vintages from the "hotter" years.
Merlot makes up 8% of our Grand Vin, while Cabernet Sauvignon still forms the heart, accounting for 87% of the blend. Delicious Cabernet Franc (3%) adds structure, while Petit Verdot (2%) completes the blend. Château Margaux 2021 represents 36% of the harvest. (April 2022)

Climate
The winter of 2021 was relatively mild, although quite wet, with more than 230 mm of rain falling in the first two months of the year. With the month of March being drier and warmer, our vines flowered between the 23rd and the 30th of the month. Spring was marked by frequent and severe episodes of frost, testing the frost protection sprinkling systems on our white grape vineyards like never before. Temperatures fell so drastically that we lost close to a hectare's worth of our white harvest. On the other hand, our red grape vineyards were less affected by the cold, with only a few vines hit by some morning frost.


May and June recorded quite a bit of rainfall, and we had to be watchful to prevent the spread of fungal diseases. The determination of our team eventually paid off and we were able to maintain the grapes and leaves in good health. Budbreak occurred between the 1st and the 6th of March in average conditions, however the fruit-set was excellent, with only a few of the older plots falling prey to coulure or shatter.
After a rainy month of July, August and the first half of September were extremely dry. Just after we had finished picking the white grapes, we had about 45 mm of rain, raising concerns of a poor red harvest.
As in the 2017 vintage, we were faced with the following choice: pick grapes that were not fully ripe before they could potentially be attacked by Botrytis, or wait till the end of September to harvest the grapes when they would be riper and more concentrated from the additional sunshine. And as in that year, the decision was made to prioritise the quality of the grapes. The early Merlot plots were harvested on the 24th of September while the later Cabernet harvests only began by the 4th of October. The harvest was completed by the 13th of October. The season definitely presented its fair share of challenges, but the quality of our work and attention ensured we had an elegant and dense vintage.

JD 97

Jeb Dunnuck

(Rating 95-97) I think the wine of the vintage is the 2021 Château Margaux, which comes from a miniscule selection of just 36% of the total production. The final blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all of which is resting in 100% new French oak. Reminding me slightly of a riper 1996, it has incredible purity in its ripe cassis and blueberry fruits as well as notes of liquid violets, spicy oak, graphite, and hints of sandalwood. As seamless as they come, medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and with ample Château Margaux purity and finesse, this brilliant juice is as good as it gets in the vintage. Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: February 2022.
RP 97

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

(Rating 95 - 97+) The 2021 Château Margaux is clearly one of the finest wines of the vintage. Offering up a deep bouquet of raspberries, wild blueberries and plums mingled with sweet spices, violets, licorice and hints of cigar box, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with terrific depth at the core and beautifully refined, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, floral finish. Combining the vibrant flavors and moderate alcohol (13.1%) of a vintage of the last century with all the precision of the present in extraction and élevage, it is a timeless classic; and lest that be mistaken for a euphemism for a lack of concentration, note that the wine is analytically as high in polyphenols as the brilliant 2019. Representing only 36% of the estate's production, the 2021 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Reviewed by William Kelley, Issue date: April 2022.
V 96

Vinous

(Rating 94-96) The 2021 Choteau Margaux, aged in 100% new oak as usual, is clean and precise on the nose, much more discrete than the outgoing Pavilion Rouge and unfolds like a temptress in the glass. Intense dark cherries, hints of blueberry and trademark crushed violets then start to billow, all exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth veneer that does a good job disguising the structure underneath. Surprisingly plush given the growing season, the concentration is very impressive with no hard edges. It's a very Margaux-like Choteau Margaux insofar that it could not come from any other appellation. Reviewed by Neal Martin, Issue date: April 2022. Drinking window: 2027 - 2060.

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SHIPPING: During warm summer weather, we recommend to only ship within the United States with Same Day or Next Day Air service to protect the wines from environmental damage. If you would like to waive this protection by shipping Ground, we will request a waiver be signed.

PACKAGING: Our premium wines need optimal temperature consistency, therefore are packaged in EPS foam shippers with gel pack (when needed) and shipped only during ideal weather temperatures.

For OWC (Original Wooden Case) orders, wine bottles will be removed from case and shipped inside a foam shipper box for safety (unless otherwise requested). The wooden case will be shipped separately at Ground service. If faster service is necessary please contact us.

WEATHER HOLD: In adverse temperature conditions, we reserve the right to withhold shipment until ideal temperatures return unless we receive explicit instructions via email to release the wines, voiding any guarantee. We will contact you if a hold is necessary.

FULFILLMENT: Shipments are via UPS.

  • Orders received Monday - Thursday before 2:00 p.m. will typically ship the same day.
  • Orders received Thursday 2:00 p.m. ~ Sunday will ship on Monday.

DELIVERY:

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Adult Signature: By law, all shipments of alcohol must be received and authorized by an adult. Our delivery carriers will not release packages without an adult signature and additional charges may be incurred if the package requires withholding or redirection.

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We ship within the United States to: Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), and Wyoming (WY).

  • CRITICAL REVIEWS
  • WINEMAKER NOTES
JD 97

Jeb Dunnuck

(Rating 95-97) I think the wine of the vintage is the 2021 Château Margaux, which comes from a miniscule selection of just 36% of the total production. The final blend is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all of which is resting in 100% new French oak. Reminding me slightly of a riper 1996, it has incredible purity in its ripe cassis and blueberry fruits as well as notes of liquid violets, spicy oak, graphite, and hints of sandalwood. As seamless as they come, medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, and with ample Château Margaux purity and finesse, this brilliant juice is as good as it gets in the vintage. Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: February 2022.
RP 97

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

(Rating 95 - 97+) The 2021 Château Margaux is clearly one of the finest wines of the vintage. Offering up a deep bouquet of raspberries, wild blueberries and plums mingled with sweet spices, violets, licorice and hints of cigar box, it's full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with terrific depth at the core and beautifully refined, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, floral finish. Combining the vibrant flavors and moderate alcohol (13.1%) of a vintage of the last century with all the precision of the present in extraction and élevage, it is a timeless classic; and lest that be mistaken for a euphemism for a lack of concentration, note that the wine is analytically as high in polyphenols as the brilliant 2019. Representing only 36% of the estate's production, the 2021 is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Reviewed by William Kelley, Issue date: April 2022.
V 96

Vinous

(Rating 94-96) The 2021 Choteau Margaux, aged in 100% new oak as usual, is clean and precise on the nose, much more discrete than the outgoing Pavilion Rouge and unfolds like a temptress in the glass. Intense dark cherries, hints of blueberry and trademark crushed violets then start to billow, all exquisitely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth veneer that does a good job disguising the structure underneath. Surprisingly plush given the growing season, the concentration is very impressive with no hard edges. It's a very Margaux-like Choteau Margaux insofar that it could not come from any other appellation. Reviewed by Neal Martin, Issue date: April 2022. Drinking window: 2027 - 2060.

2021 Chateau Margaux, Margaux, France

Since the 17th Century, the first wine of Château Margaux has been recognized 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.

The 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages were so exceptional that it would be difficult for the 2021 vintage to claim any comparison with them. During the wine-making process, we did not want to artificially extract tannins for fear it would increase the astringency. We opted instead for a gentle extraction process, and were quite pleasantly surprised at the concentration we achieved despite such a difficult growing season.

The initial tastings from the first batches of our vineyard selections, just after the fermentation process, amazed us with their density. The polyphenol content was close to, if not at the same level, as the vintages from the "hotter" years.
Merlot makes up 8% of our Grand Vin, while Cabernet Sauvignon still forms the heart, accounting for 87% of the blend. Delicious Cabernet Franc (3%) adds structure, while Petit Verdot (2%) completes the blend. Château Margaux 2021 represents 36% of the harvest. (April 2022)

Climate
The winter of 2021 was relatively mild, although quite wet, with more than 230 mm of rain falling in the first two months of the year. With the month of March being drier and warmer, our vines flowered between the 23rd and the 30th of the month. Spring was marked by frequent and severe episodes of frost, testing the frost protection sprinkling systems on our white grape vineyards like never before. Temperatures fell so drastically that we lost close to a hectare's worth of our white harvest. On the other hand, our red grape vineyards were less affected by the cold, with only a few vines hit by some morning frost.


May and June recorded quite a bit of rainfall, and we had to be watchful to prevent the spread of fungal diseases. The determination of our team eventually paid off and we were able to maintain the grapes and leaves in good health. Budbreak occurred between the 1st and the 6th of March in average conditions, however the fruit-set was excellent, with only a few of the older plots falling prey to coulure or shatter.
After a rainy month of July, August and the first half of September were extremely dry. Just after we had finished picking the white grapes, we had about 45 mm of rain, raising concerns of a poor red harvest.
As in the 2017 vintage, we were faced with the following choice: pick grapes that were not fully ripe before they could potentially be attacked by Botrytis, or wait till the end of September to harvest the grapes when they would be riper and more concentrated from the additional sunshine. And as in that year, the decision was made to prioritise the quality of the grapes. The early Merlot plots were harvested on the 24th of September while the later Cabernet harvests only began by the 4th of October. The harvest was completed by the 13th of October. The season definitely presented its fair share of challenges, but the quality of our work and attention ensured we had an elegant and dense vintage.

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