Château Margaux 2006 [magnum]

Druvor

De första provningarna i vinframställningsprocessen bjöd på ett ögonblick av häpnad. Merlot-satserna är anmärkningsvärda: aromerna är fruktiga och mjuka, en rundhet i gommen och rik volym gjorde det möjligt att inkludera dem i en andel på 8% för det första vinet. Cabernet Sauvignon är alltid hjärtat och ramen för Château Margaux, och står för 89% av blandningen. Efter provsmakning var tanninerna perfekt mogna, vilket försäkrade oss om att vårt beslut att vänta några dagar till innan skörden var det rätta valet. Vinernas struktur är fortfarande en sällsynt kombination av kraft och förfining. Cabernet Franc (2%) och Petit Verdot (1%) avrundar blandningen för detta vin. Château Margaux står för 37 % av skörden. (oktober 2018)

Tasting note

'For a number of years now, we have had a succession of great and very great vintages, surely proving that, at least so far, the weather conditions have particularly favoured the ripening of the Cabernet grapes. It shouldn’t be overlooked though, that this success has also been the result of more and more rigorous selection: in 2006, barely 36% of the crop went into the first wine, which will only be a third by the time it is bottled, after the unavoidable loss of the lees wine at each racking.

One single batch of Merlot, though of remarkably high quality, finally went into the blend, but it only represents 4% of the whole… It is the first time we have had so little. The Petit Verdot (4%) and the Cabernet Franc (2%) make up their usual proportions; they each bring added complexity that is difficult to define, but is most certainly a necessary contribution to the character of the wines of Château Margaux.

The Cabernet Sauvignon therefore takes up almost all of the place: 90%! It brings to the 2006 an extraordinary aromatic finesse, a tannic richness that is second only to the 2005; and a particularly dense and tight-knit texture. The finish is very long, fresh and lively, a little bit firm, but already packed with flavour.
2006 is therefore a great Château Margaux vintage. Of course, it is not 2005, or 2000; those vintages are exceptional. But it does have both the grace and the purity of the 1996, the so classic freshness of the 2004 and the heady power of the 1986 or the 1995. Such balance is a brilliant expression of Château Margaux’s noble terroir, but demands a little patience. We recommend waiting for several more years. '