Bordeaux 2005 at Ten Years: Margaux
There are a large number of classed growth châteaux in Margaux, testament to how important this region was when the merchants drew up the listing for the 1855 classification. Either that, or Margaux was favoured not so much for the quality of its terroir, but for its proximity to the city and the port of Bordeaux. Perish the thought.
Château Margaux completely dominates the appellation in the 2005 vintage, the closest contender for the crown being the 2005 Château Palmer which will probably come as no surprise, but the gap between the two is a little wider than it is when looking at the top and second wines of Pauillac and St Julien. The 2005 Château Margaux is just magnificent, in that it displays all the features that I believe Margaux fans look for in this wine; it never possesses the same deep, textured confidence that can be found in the first growths of Pauillac, instead it majors on purity, linearity and elegance, regular features of the wine over the past couple of decades, under the direction of Paul Pontallier. The 2005 is no exception to this rule, showing great poise and elegance, and showing perhaps a little more evolution in the fruit character on the palate than was seen in Pauillac. I suspect Château Margaux will drink a little sooner than the likes of Château Latour in this vintage, but it is no less a wine for that.
