Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe 2002

Chateau Margaux, 1'eme Grand Cru Classé, Margaux, Bordeaux, 2002

Grapes: A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, 265ha estate with a third planted to vines, gravel over chalky clay soil, 18-26 months' ageing in new French oak barrels

Producer Tasting Note:

The old vine Merlot this year was hit badly by both coulure (poor spring fruit set/pollination = no grapes form from flowers) and millerandage (irregular fruit on a bunch with grapes forming in different sizes, some normal, some tiny and seedless) with, consequently, very little being harvested. On the other hand, the Indian summer in 2002 produced Cabernet & Petit Verdot of remarkable quality!

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Performing better from bottle than at any time in cask (which of course is the objective of great winemaking, isn’t it?), this wine reveals a dense ruby/purple color in a style somewhat reminiscent of the 1988 but with more power, concentration, and volume. It has a beautifully elegant nose of black fruits intermixed with truffle, flower, and oak. The wine is medium to full-bodied, dense, with wonderful precision, freshness, and a long, full-bodied finish with impressive levels of concentration"  Drink 2010-2030

93/100 points, Robert M. Parker Jr., WINE ADVOCATE, April 2005 

"Tasted blind at Farr’s 2002 Bordeaux tasting. Very refined on the nose...definitely First Growth quality with a beautiful floral scent. Margaux? Black cherries, a touch of cassis, violets and wild hedgerow. Superb clarity. Ripe succulent entry, very pure and very harmonious with filigree tannins and a natural, graceful finish that belies its power."

95/100 points, Neal Martin, January 2010