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Description
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1987 is undoubtedly a success for the vintage. It exhibits good cassis richness, a solid texture, and above average concentration and depth. The compact finish contains noticeable tannins. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 12/93.

Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lean woody nose with a note of burnt toast and tobacco. A bit more intensity than the 1975 tasted alongside. The palate simply lacks any definable character with a hollow mid-palate and a slightly animally Rhone-like finish. Poor compared to the other Firsts Growths. Tasted February 2004.

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
While this is undoubtedly a success for the vintage, among the first-growths I have a strong preference for Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rothschild, and Haut-Brion. The 1987 Margaux exhibits a much more herbal note than one normally finds, but there is good richness, as well as a solid texture, suggesting concentration and depth. The wine is a bit narrow and compact in the finish, which leads me to believe that it will continue to evolve and open up. It should turn out to be nearly as good as the other so-called ``off'' years of Margaux during this decade, 1984 and 1980. Anticipated maturity: Now-2000. Last tasted, 1/91.
About the Producer
Chateau Margaux is located in the village of Margaux, in the Medoc appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux, and was awarded a First Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Medoc classification, alongside Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour and Château Haut-Brion. It is also known as Chateau Haut-Brion. Château Margaux currently covers a total of 262 hectares, including 99 hectares of vineyards. The red vineyard has an appellation of 87 hectares, of which 82 hectares are planted, while the white vineyard is planted with 12 hectares. The red varieties are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc; the white varieties are Sauvignon Blanc and the vines are on average 45 years old. Since the end of the 1990s, the estate has refused to use pesticides in the vineyards. In addition, only organic fertilisers are used in the vineyard, and deep fertilisation is carried out at regular intervals to improve the soil structure and rejuvenate the soil. During the harvest season, the winery team selects the right time to harvest the grapes by testing and analysing all the indicators and by tasting the grapes themselves. Once the grapes have reached their ideal state of ripeness, they are harvested by a team of over 200 trained harvesters. Once in the winery, the grapes undergo a rigorous selection process before being de-stemmed. Both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks are used to ferment the red grapes, while the white grapes are fermented entirely in oak barrels. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation. The red wines are then left to mature in oak barrels for 18-24 months and the whites for 6-8 months. The main wine of the estate, Château Margaux's red wine, is rich and complex, with an elegant and powerful ballet on the tongue, rich and smooth tannins, good balance and a long, fresh finish with excellent ageing potential. It successfully conquered Napoleon Bonaparte, the founder of the First French Empire, and won the hearts of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of the United States, and Margaret Thatcher, the "Iron Lady" of England. In the world of wine criticism, Château Margaux's red wines have also been recognised, with four perfect scores from Robert Parker and many more from other critics with 95 points or more. In recent years, the quality of Château Margaux's red wines has been steady and has maintained a high level of interest in the market.