2004 Margaux

The 2004 Château Margaux is a vintage that I tasted earlier this year at the château, although here it is a rare chance to savor the wine from neck to punt. What a joy. It is certainly open for business on the nose, leaning towards red rather than black fruit, violet and peony, cedar and light just a touch of tobacco. The palate is initially fleshy and caressing, a sensual Margaux. Yet after 30 minutes, it begins to firm up and reveal more backbone and tannic structure. It has unerring purity with a divine, poised satin-textured finish. This surely stands as one of the wines of the vintage.

The 2004 Chateau Margaux is one of the dark horses of the decade. This bottle, which came directly from the château cellars, accidentally landing in my hands (long story), reconfirms the caliber. The bouquet takes a little time to find its feet, eventually offering richly layered scents with raspberry, blackberry, crushed rock and pencil shavings. It has tangible coolness, not powerful, but displaying exquisite delineation. The palate is wonderfully balanced, more pliant than recent vintages, fresh and tensile, with a little more firmness on the finish compared to my previous encounter six years earlier. This is well worth seeking out, and it will give 20 to 30 years of pleasure.

The 2004 Margaux tasted blind struck me as classic claret, with a bouquet of currant, graphite, mint, and smoke, with a supple elegance, fresh acidity, and a lingering, ethereal finish. Discovering the identity, I was surprised that it seemed much lighter than my recollection. Two bottles were tasted, with comparable results. The ethereal character takes nothing away from the elegance of the wine, but it did not have the power of previous outings. However, there is enough substance here to age at least another 20 years.