The 2019 Château Margaux, bottled in July 2021, is absolutely divine on the nose. It unfurls to reveal exquisitely defined black fruit infused with graphite, Japanese nori and just a hint of potpourri and crushed stone. This is supremely well focused, refined and correct, so much so that you would think it comes from a cooler growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant, filigreed tannins that envelop the senses. Flavors of blackberry and bilberry, tinged with sea salt and black pepper, merge into a slightly more sensual finish that is still quintessentially Margaux. I used the word "effortless" in my note from barrel, and that rings true in bottle, though maybe there is now even more persistence. Quite stunning.

The is next level stuff, coiled and brooding but with incredible layers of perfume and distinctive vanilla and mocha from well judged oak. The perfume is intoxicating; damask rose, tar, rich cassis and blackcurrant fruit and leaf, layered up with not bricks, warm earth... smells like summer. The palate is a serious wow. It's as ripe as they dare to go with masses of intensity but all held in place by finely chiselled tannins and mouthwatering aciidty. It's so soft and seamless, rich in the mouth, and yet never OTT. The finish brings a zesty citrus bite in between rich dollops of bright, blackcurrant and plum fruit, giving massive length and pixellated precision. A hedonistic Margaux, admittedly, but with immense class and undeniable presence.

Amazing aromas of crushed stones and wet soil with fresh mushrooms, then going on to violets and other flowers. Dark fruit, too. Full-bodied, yet agile and fine, with a linear flow of tannins that run through the center of palate. The finesse of the tannins is exceptional, like raw silk and changing all the time. Cool and energetic, yet reserved. Zen-like. 37% of the production and 90% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. So well balanced that you can drink it now, but this is one to leave for a decade and more. Ethereal.