Chateau Margaux 2009

Chateau Margaux 2009

1er Cru Classé

Margaux

75cl.

- Delivery in 3-4 weeks -

- Not subject to discounts and/or promotions -

Condition and provenance guaranteed

Original wooden case of 3 bottles

Notes on the vintage:

The 2009 is perhaps the best young Château Margaux we've tasted in the past 30 years.

Mother Nature couldn't have done it all by herself; just 36% of the harvest (that is, only 31% at the moment of bottling) went to the first wine: a drastic selection for such a vintage. Yet, in 2009, Mother Nature outdid herself. It has allowed the greatest terroirs, whatever their grape variety, to bear fruit to an exceptional ripeness, providing a wine of marvelous concentration, finesse, balance and freshness. The Cabernet (87% of the blend) has no equivalent except the 2005, but is more tender. The only two lots of Merlot kept (9%) have no equivalent. As for Cabernet Franc (2%) and Petit Verdot (2%), they performed at the highest level.
Château Margaux 2009 is a vintage without equal for its power and tannic fullness (reminiscent of 2005) and its softness (reminiscent of 1990). And since its alcohol content is just over 13, the finish remains fresh, savory and surprisingly long. When to drink it? This is a difficult question to answer because it already gives so much pleasure, but with enormous potential. (October 2019)

Climate
After a cold and dry winter, the weather turned rainy and cool in April, resulting in a rather late budding and a slowdown in the growth of the shoots. Starting from May 1, however, temperatures increased quite sharply and stood above the seasonal norm, without ever reaching excessive highs. This allowed for a quick and successful flowering which promised a very uniform ripening of the berries.

By then the drought had set in, although in those early days we had no idea how severe and how long it would actually be. Very few vintages (apart from 2005) have been this dry. It rained very little from July 10th until the end of the harvest on October 14th!

Such dry weather is particularly advantageous for large terroirs which can regulate the water supply of the vines, and also for Cabernet Sauvignon because it is less affected by drought than Merlot. However, some of the vines planted in lighter and less clayey soils struggled to achieve perfect ripening of the grapes.
While these very dry months have had some very hot days, the nights have remained quite cool. This contrast helped the tannins and anthocyanins concentrate in the skins of the red. All the pieces were gradually falling into place to make 2009 a truly exceptional vintage. (Collection started on September 24th).

Reviews

Robert Parker: 98

James Suckling: 99