Château Margaux 1996

Jeannie Cho Lee

Adrian van Velsen - vvWine.ch

Grandes Escolhas

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

This could hit triple digits in a few years. It continues filing out, gaining in complexity, richness, and texturally, additional layers of silk and velvet on the palate are the order of the day. This stunning wine is showing beautifully today, and while pricey, it is the best deal for a mature vintage of Chateau Margaux in the market today. Drink from 2023-2055.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

When I used to drink this wine as a student, it generally left me a bit cold, but several recent bottles of the 1996 Château Margaux lead me to think that I must have had bad luck with a poorly stored batch of bottles. Along with Haut-Brion, Margaux is the most forward of the 1996 first growths, offering up an expressive bouquet of creamy cassis fruit mingled with cigar wrapper, sweet spices, espresso roast and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, suave and fleshy, with melting tannins and a long, expansive finish, it's in a beautiful place today.

Jeb Dunnuck

The 1996 Château Margaux comes from a cooler year and has always been a more focused, structured, even reserved wine. It has classic notes of crème de cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and flowers, with more lead pencil and spice notes developing with time in the glass. While it was impenetrable on release, it’s showing some evolution today and is medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and seamless on the palate, with remarkable length. While I’ve never found this vintage to be at the level of the 1982 or 2000, it’s pure class as well as a thrilling example of the estate. The blend of the 1996 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, and it should continue evolving gracefully for another two decades or more.

Decanter Magazine

Softly spoken, fine tannins, pencil lead and leather, with truffle, earth, campfire and spice. Long drawn out finish, achingly slow, crushed stone, tobacco and dried roses. As with the 2001, the generosity and beauty of the aromatics tells you that this is absolutely ready to drink - although in many ways it feels like it will last longer than the 2001, as the tannins are still holding everything in place. This got the audience award on the night, and no question it is a stunning wine that is still giving so much pleasure at 25 years old. The 1996 has really grown into itself - it was a late harvest at the time after a burst of rain at the end of September that they decided to wait through before picking, and were rewarded with beautifully ripe Cabernet that was high in dense tannins and a little surly at first, but that has turned into one of the greatest vintages of the 1990s (rivaled only by the 1990 itself in my opinion). 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend, 100% new oak.