At first the tannins keep this pretty tight, but as it opens up there is an elegance and finesse, along with a subtle floral expression that is clearer in the Château Margaux than the Pavillon. Juicy on the finish, and as it opens further you get a gourmet, dense expression to the raspberry and cassis fruit. Aromatically it is finely knit and uplifting. The iris and peony aromatics of Château Margaux are really to the fore, it's a great vintage to show off this side of the estate. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.6pH. 38% of overall production in the first wine. One of the earliest harvest on record, all finished by end of September which is extremely rare at Margaux. Drinking Window 2021 - 2044
Blind tasted by Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 19 Feb 2021)
Part of Bordeaux 2011: The top-rated wines tasted 10 years on

It feels dangerous to use too much hyperbole in a good-but-not-great vintage, but as with the Latour, the Margaux has really thrived in 2011. Probably the best tannins we've encountered so far which are just so, so supple and creep up gently on the drinker- a real 'silken glove'. Compared to the great Margaux of the last 20 years this may be on the light side but honestly, as classic claret goes, this is wonderful. Balance, freshness, power, elegance, sweet fruit, longevity- it really has it all. However, they are massively down on yields.

This has a restrained core of steeped plum, blackberry and anise, studded with tobacco and roasted cedar notes. The structure is silky but persistent, with an almost-succulent feel through the finish, while warm bergamot, singed cedar, vanilla and sanguine hints define the finish. Discreet today, but shows the balance and precision to unfold slowly with cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2030. – James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, March 2014)

Representing 38% of the crop, the Grand Vin is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Harvest began 5th September with the earlier ripening Merlot and finished around the 20th. It has a very strict bouquet, very linear, a no-frills aromatic profile that delivers straight to the senses minerality, with touches of graphite and cedar from the intense Cabernet. The palate is medium-bodied with a more understated entry. The Cabernet is very pure right from the outset with blackberry, graphite, a saline tincture and a touch of black olive. It has a fine framework of taut tannins, beautifully composed as usual, with a finish that unlike 2009 or 2010, is very precise and linear, finishing off dry and abruptly. There is not a great long tail on the finish, but that would not suit this style of Margaux, one that is more masculine in style. – eRobertParker.com, May 2012

[86CS/10M/2CF/2PV] Beautiful, fragrant, subtly mineral nose, lingering, delicately fruity, subtly gravelly; very refined lively, linear, wine of moderate fruit concentration as such, but a great concentration of aromas; a particularly refined, dry tannin; a delicate, freshly sweet flavour, very gravel infused, a long, dry, subtle flavour, discreet, gently sapid, very ‘margaux’, just lacking a point in sweetness, but not mean, and with great aromatic length, an echo of the beautiful nose. Will be a wine to linger over and admire rather than be seduced by early in its life. 2025-40+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2012]

Quality 889 | Brand 998 | Economics 918 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 12 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2011 vintage, which averages 8 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 44 of the world's top wine lists, including Lung King Heen Economics: More traded at auction than its peers, its top 5 vintages having seen 4,675 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 112,956 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017