Winemaker Notes
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Fine wood spices with subtle creaminess and aromas of wasabi, cassis and berries. Juicy and compact on the medium- to full-bodied palate, with more fine-boned tannins than fruit and a long, structured finish. Drink from 2028.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Deep purple-hued, the 2023 Château Marquis D'Alesme is based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc and aged in 45% new French oak. It has beautiful aromatics of blue fruits, subtle cassis, spicy wood, chocolate, and graphite, and on the palate it's medium-bodied, with a supple, layered mouthfeel, ripe and polished tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and outstanding length. This floral, pretty, classy, and graceful Margaux will shine for two decades. Drink 2026-2046.
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James Suckling
Fine wood spices with subtle creaminess and aromas of wasabi, cassis and berries. Juicy and compact on the medium- to full-bodied palate, with more fine-boned tannins than fruit and a long, structured finish. Drink from 2028.
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Wine Spectator
Rather floral, with iris and hibiscus notes leading the way for Bing and morello cherry. Light accents of rose hip and red tea emerge on the silky finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2036.
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.