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Product Information:

Chateau Margaux

WineSpectator Review:
Cool and racy on the nose, with mineral, currant, black licorice and plum. Fullbodied, with a silky, seductive, exciting palate of ultrafine tannins and a long, long caressing finish. Structured and refined. Fabulous. Gets better and better.95/96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2012.

Parker Review:
The 1996 Chateau Margaux, which was bottled in September, 1998, is undoubtedly one of the great classics produced under the Mentzelopoulos regime. In many respects, it is the quintessential Chateau Margaux, as well as the paradigm for this estate, combining measured power, extraordinary elegance, and admirable complexity. I tasted the wine on three separate occasions in January, and in short, its a beauty! The color is opaque purple. The wine offers extraordinarily pure notes of blackberries, cassis, pain grille, and flowers, gorgeous sweetness, a seamless personality, and full body, with nothing out of place. The final blend (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) contains a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It tastes complete and long, although backward. My instincts suggest this wine will shut down, but at present it is openknit, tasting like a recently bottled wine. The fruit is exceptionally sweet and pure, and there are layers of flavor in the mouth. I do believe this wine will develop an extraordinary perfume, and possess a high level of richness. Anticipated maturity 2005 to 2040.

Tanzer Review:
Bright full ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of cassis and violet. Dense and tactile in the mouth a huge, chewy wine with major extract but also considerable refinement. Almost painfully backward today, and a bit less perfumed than it was in the year or so after the bottling, but the huge tannins show no hardness. Another great expression of cabernet sauvignon from the 96 vintage.