Château Margaux 2015

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.

2015 was, literally, an historic year at Château Margaux. We celebrated the bicentenary of the Estate's buildings dating from 1815, and the inauguration of the new facilities, designed or reorganised, by Norman Foster. It is easy to imagine how much we dreamed that 2015 would be a great vintage!


Without doubt, some of the result is owed to decisions made at the time of blending; only 35% of the harvest went into the first wine, which was a record of severity for a vintage of this standard. As usual, it was the Cabernet Sauvignon in first place with 87% of the blend; in addition to its concentration and finesse, this year it has an unusual vigour and strength. The Merlot has nothing to be ashamed of, at least in the great plots; it makes up 8% of the first wine. Cabernet Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%) also find their place in this select blend, which confirms that great vintages enable all the different grape varieties to express their own character.

How can we compare 2015 to its predecessors? It is a thankless task, and a little futile, particularly for the great vintages. There are, of course, similarities, affinities, and also some differences where we do not expect to find them... But we can evoke a combination of the strength of 2005, the flesh of 2009, the subtlety of 2010, and the inimitable charm of Château Margaux.

A testimony to the last vintage of Paul Pontallier; a wine comprising all the most beautiful qualities of Château Margaux.
For all these reasons, Château Margaux wanted to create a special packaging for the 2015 Grand Vin.

A unique case was designed, adorned with a magnificent serigraphy, created specifically for this vintage, is affixed to the glass in place of the traditional label. The vintage, like its unique bottle, seems to have been built for eternity. (October 2018)