The 2019 Chateau Margaux is slightly more low-key than its peers, but very precise. Crushed rocks infuse the black fruit, quite transparent and very terroir driven. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit, and fine structure. Dense and weighty, with a sapid finish that doesn`t quite have same effortless ease as its peers. Maybe this is hiding something up its sleeve? (When its identity is revealed, the answer is affirmative.) Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. 97+ points

The 2019 Chateau Margaux possesses off the charts richness to go along with plush contours and mind-blowing balance. All the elements are so wonderfully woven together. It`s as if all the Chateau Margaux signatures are dialed up to eleven, but without losing any of the classic Margaux character. The purity of the red-toned fruit is just breathtaking. The Merlot was picked early, but then rain during harvest delayed the ripening of the Cabernets, which turned out to be a huge advantage.
Estate Manager Philippe Bascaules and his team turned out two spectacular wines in 2019. Bascaules describes 2019 as an easy vintage. Flowering was normal and set was good. Yields came in at a healthy 47 hectoliters per hectare, more than 2017 or 2018, the summer heat spikes notwithstanding. Bascaules opted to pick the Merlot early and gave those lots very gentle extractions at low temperatures, whereas the Cabernet Sauvignon vinifications were a much more typical 20-22 days at 28-30 degrees Celsius. In tasting, the 2019s have more tannins than any other vintage, with the exception of 2018, and yet the wines don`t show that at all. The bottled wines are every bit as impressive as the barrel samples. 99 points

A wine that you sink into, drink in the aromatics before taking a sip. You can sense the velvety texture from the first moment. There is so much density here, and yet each tannin plays its part with skill, holding the perfumed black and blue fruits in place without restricting their expression. A signature Château Margaux, with so many different elements lending momentum and energy, and a feeling of effortless balance. 37% of total production, 100% new oak. Loved En Primeur, but this is an upscore. 100 points