Winemaker Notes
Blend: 58% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Labégorce is one those "dark horses" of the vintage, a wine that has a prosperous future. It has a lovely, very pure and sensual bouquet with lifted redcurrant and wild strawberry scents that really evoke the essence of Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well -udged acidity, good concentration with a satisfying raspberry preserve-infused finish that demonstrates superb persistence. I adored this Labégorce from barrel and now in bottle it does nothing to disprove my initial enthusiasm. Top Margaux ahoy!
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Wine Enthusiast
Smoke-driven on the nose, the palate brings flavors of dark coffee and bitter chocolate. The tannins are rough and could use some time to integrate. Barrel Sample: 90-92
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James Suckling
Either you’ll like the hints of bell pepper and mint to this or not, but there’s a ton of blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. It’s medium-bodied with moderately dry tannins balanced out by a hint of sweetness. Good but not great length.
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Wine Spectator
Open, with a caressing feel to the mix of violet, plum and anise notes. Twinges of licorice snap and bay show on the finish, but this stays relatively graceful overall. A very pretty display of fruit. Drink now through 2026.
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.