#2 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1998 edition - 1995 vintage)
#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1992 edition - 1989 vintage)
#6 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1991 edition - 1988 vintage)
#6 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1989 edition - 1986 vintage)
#2 Wine Spectator Top 100 (1988 edition - 1985 vintage) ~ 1st edition
 
100-Points by Wine Advocate & Jane Anson.
The 1996 Chateau Margaux must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s.
Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
 
Château Margaux is one of Bordeaux's most famous wine estates, located just east of Margaux itself in the Médoc. Along with Lafite, Latour and Haut-Brion, it was rated as a first growth in the original 1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Médoc. Generally, Margaux is considered as the most elegant of the first growths, and is consistently one of the most expensive wines in the world. Château Margaux's vineyards have a complex combination of soils that are unique to the area. These consist of chalky clay under a top layer of coarse and fine gravels, which is well-suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for around 75 percent of plantings. Merlot makes up a further 20 percent, with the rest planted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. La Mothe de Margaux existed as a distinct property in the 12th Century, and was set up as a wine estate in the 1570s, as farmers in the Médoc began to abandon cereal crops in favor of vines. In 1705, the London Gazette advertised the first auction of 230 barrels of "Margose", and in 1787, Thomas Jefferson made his famous visit to Bordeaux and identified Margaux as one of the "four vineyards of first quality".
 
Aroma & Flavor: Known for complex bouquets of blackcurrants, violets, and spice, with notes of graphite and cedar. 
Texture: Features "sensuously opulent" richness with silky, refined tannins. 
Structure: Offers density and length on the palate, balanced by freshness. 
 
History & Legacy 
• Origins date back nearly 1,000 years (La Mothe de Margaux, 12th century).
• Vineyards developed in the 1600s; size remains almost unchanged today.
• Pioneered modern winemaking – separated red/white vinification, terroir focus. • Survived French Revolution & phylloxera; Pavillon Rouge second wine launched 1906.
• Purchased by André Mentzelopoulos in 1977; revitalized by daughter Corinne with oenologist Emile Peynaud and director Paul Pontallier (1983–2016).
• 2015 cellars renovated by Norman Foster; vintage dedicated as 'Hommage à Paul Pontallier'.
• Currently managed by Philippe Bascaules (returned 2017; also Inglenook, Napa). Vineyards & Terroir
• 262-hectare estate; 82 ha under vine for red grapes.
• Plantings: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc.
• Best terroir: deep gravel plateau parcels (Enclos).
• Organic farming since 2017; some biodynamic trials; vine orientation changes for climate adaptation.
• White wine: 11 ha Sauvignon Blanc (Pavillon Blanc), very low yields. Winemaking
• Vinification in wood & stainless steel vats, plot-by-plot precision.
• Malolactic fermentation in vats; aged 18–24 months in 100% new oak.
• Own cooperage on estate – rare in Bordeaux.
• Production: Château Margaux ~12,000 cases; Pavillon Rouge ~16,000; Pavillon Blanc ~1,600; Margaux de Margaux (3rd wine). Wine Style & Tasting Notes
• Hallmark: elegance, purity, harmony, finesse.
• Flavors: cassis, violets, truffle, refined tannins.
• Ages 15–60+ years in top vintages.
• Best vintages: 2015, 2016, 2010, 2009, 2005, 2000, 1996, 1990, 1983, 1982, plus classics like 1959, 1953, 1929, 1900.