Wine Advisor
Chateau Margaux 2006
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The strictest selection ever instituted at this estate resulted in only 36% of the crop being utilized for the blend of 2006 Chateau Margaux. Composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, it is similar to the 1996, but with sweeter, more seductive fruit in the nose. A big, tannic, dense effort displaying terrific purity, power, elegance, and a distinctive mineral/flower component, it is a medium to full-bodied wine of great nobility that should be at its finest between 2017-2050+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. Here is an example of pure unadulterated Cabernet on the nose with superlative definition and vigour. Crushed stones, a touch of blackberry and black olive, conservative and blue blooded. The palate is full-bodied with sturdy, dense tannins; reserved and masculine with a beguiling tobacco tinged finish that displays superb delineation and focus. Very pure with incredible persistency, this Margaux actually reminds me of a top Lafite! Divine. Tasted January 2010.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
This has more intensity on the nose than the 2007, certainly less Burgundian, with blacker fruit with boysenberry, wild hedgerow, a touch of smoke and violets. Good definition. The palate is medium-bodied, a little more structure and weight than the 2007, a little more grip and persistency. Touches of blackberry, cedar, blueberry, nice crescendo towards the finish. Very fine clarity with a slight graininess on the finish. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Margaux. Representing just 36% of the crop and consisting of a whopping 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, the highest proportion ever, this is a bold, masculine Chateau Margaux. A limpid purple/black hue. The nose is tight with blackberry and blueberries, harmonious with night on perfect acidity. Firm grip, cedar and a touch of graphite, yet I find this to be an exemplary expression of Cabernet, rather than an exemplary expression of Chateau Margaux, the latter being the greater. Like Latour, just missing that explosion of fruit on the finish. A superb wine, but handicapped by under-performing Merlot. Tasted April 2007.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Margaux has a sense of airiness and wonderful definition on the nose: wild strawberry, redcurrant, cedar and crushed roses soaring from the glass, but it never strives for the opulence of say the 2006 Château Palmer. The palate is very well balanced with fine and quite firm tannin in the mouth. This seems to be approaching its plateau after a decade. While not a powerful or ostentatious Château Margaux, it epitomizes understatement and refinement in a similar vein to Lafite-Rothschild. It is only after the wine has been swallowed that you appreciate its qualities and you feel urged to go back for another sip. Tasted January 2016.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
It is worth noting that when the bottled 2006 Chateau Margaux, which appeared closed and less impressive than I had predicted from barrel, was retasted alongside the remarkable 2008, I elevated my score to 94+. It does not possess the size or power of the 2008 or 2005, but the 2006 exhibits impressive density, a deeper color, and the beautifully textured, pure style that is a hallmark of this estate. Moreover, it is relatively precocious, and can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I was hoping the 2006 Chateau Margaux would turn out along the lines of the 1996, but that is not the case. It appears to be the least of the first-growth Medocs in 2006. The color is a medium dark ruby that lightens at the rim, and the bouquet offers classic, but evolved Margaux aromas of sweet currants, licorice, forest floor, and earth. Medium-bodied with dry tannin in the finish, it does not possess the profound concentration found in the truly sublime vintages of Chateau Margaux (i.e., 2005, 2000, 1996, 1990, 1983, and 1982). This mid-weight effort requires 5-7 years of cellaring, and should age for 20-25 years.
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2006 Château Margaux remains a very youthful wine, unfurling in the decanter and glass with a deep bouquet of blackcurrants, cigar wrapper, black truffles, loamy soil and nicely integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a rich and vibrant core of fruit, lively acids and refined but authoritative tannins, it's a rather powerful, elegantly muscular Margaux that's still a decade from maturity.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good deep red-ruby. Deep but reticent aromas of redcurrant, tobacco leaf, licorice and loam; I don't find the typical floral high notes of Margaux. Juicy, fine-grained and suave, with good definition and a seamless, spherical texture to the currant and soil flavors. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins, but not the grip or power of earlier barrel samples of this wine.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Blueberry, boysenberry and violet on the pure nose. Lively and minerally on entry, then really expands in the middle palate to show terrific density with any loss of clarity. Wonderfully classy, vibrant and long, with compelling subtle sweetness of fruit. Finishes with outstanding depth and length. Although this wine was fined in January and racked just a month before I tasted it, it was far easier to taste than was my earlier barrel sample last spring.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% each merlot and petit verdot, and 2% cabernet franc) Medium bright ruby. Compellingly perfumed nose of boysenberry, cassis, graphite, licorice and violet. Suave on entry, then imploded in the middle and extremely slow to show itself. Very pure, understated black fruit, licorice and bitter chocolate flavors are like an essence of cabernet. Savory rather than particularly sweet: there's nothing easy or obvious about this wine today. A dry and classic style; the tannins are tight for a young Margaux but not hard, and the finishing flavors are vibrant and perfumed. The pH of 3.68 is on the low side for a wine from this chateau.
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.
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