Winemaker Notes
Blend:
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% MerlotProfessional Ratings
-
James Suckling
The quality of the tannins are pure velvet yet so, so fine in texture. Medium to full body with a weightless presence and beautiful heart. Rose stem and other flowers. 84% cabernet sauvignon and 16% merlot.
Barrel Sample: 96-97 -
Decanter
Lovely freshness and aromatic complexity on the nose; herbs, spices, flowers, bitterness, freshness. Juicy and alive, a brightness and liveliness straight away. The energy here is wonderful, so lean and clean, pure and precise, very pretty, fun and joyful with a salty tang underneath. Delicate almost with such well integrated tannins giving a soft push from start to finish. Really very compelling and drinkable, easy to approach with layers of freshness and the most gorgeous acidity. Not as dense or fleshy as others, but makes up for it in bite, energy and enjoyable minerality. Effortless winemaking. 3.65pH. 12% press. 85-90 IPT, but you wouldn’t tell, it’s so sleek, the power is channelled in a straight line from start to finish. Ageing: 18 months, 70% in new oak barrels and 30% in amphorae TAVA.
Barrel Sample: 96 -
Wine Spectator
The 2022 Château Durfort-Vivens showed brilliantly and is a seriously good wine in the making. Vinified at Brane-Cantenac and aging in 60% new oak, with 40% in amphora, it has a pure, focused, medium to full-bodied style as well as both red and black fruits, some violet and floral nuances, nicely integrated oak, and a great finish. This is one of those wines that builds with time in the glass, and it should clearly be outstanding, if not truly exceptional.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Durfort Vivens offers up aromas of sweet crème de cassis, violets, boot polish, creamy new oak and hints of saddle leather and cigar ash. Medium to full-bodied, layered and creamy, with a rich core of fruit, sweet powdery tannins and a long, lactic 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.