Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Now consistently one of the great wines of the appellation, d’Issan has produced a dense purple-colored wine with a beautiful set of aromatics offering a smorgasbord of aromas such as perfumed flowers, incense, graphite, licorice, blueberry, and black currant. The wine is seamlessly constructed, like a fine dress from a haute couture house. With fabulous concentration of fruit, the ethereal elegance and sublime character of this wine make it seem to almost float across the palate with substantial flavor penetration and laser-like focus. This is a gorgeous example of 2006 that can be drunk in 3-4 years or cellared for over two decades. Good value.
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Wine Enthusiast
An intense, tight wine, with stalky black currant fruit. It exhibits delicacy and elegance rather than power. Fresh fruit with an attractive smoky element make this a wine that is going to develop further, and it has a fresh, vibrant finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.