2005 Chateau Margaux Margaux (375 mL) Half-Bottle

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2005
• France
• Margaux

• The Story

  Few estates on the planet inspire reverence like Margaux, and their 2005 is “off the charts and easily one of the wines of the vintage,” according to Vinous. From a legendary year, these rare half-bottles come straight from the château’s cellars with perfect provenance.

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• Wine Facts
  • Fruit Intensity
  • Oak Intensity
  • Body
  • Acidity
  • Tannin

  • ABV 13.00%
  • 30 mins
  • Now - 2040
  • 85% Cabernet Sauvignon
    15% Merlot
  • Serving temperature - 60°
  • Cork
• Wine Access Tasting Note

  Deep ruby at the core, with a tinge of garnet at the rim. A glorious and complex array of aromas blossom with a little air, showing primary notes of crème de cassis, macerated blackberries, and Black Forest cherries complemented by tertiary notes of dried violets, leather, pipe tobacco, and a hint of truffle. Full-bodied, retaining its density and a pleasant grip of tannins, showing only a subtle softening, giving the palate a youthful joie de vivre. Layered flavors of black fruit, cedar, exotic spices, leather, earth, and more weave throughout in a complex pattern. The finish seems never-ending, as it builds to a crescendo of flavor intensity. This wine is showing well in its prime, but still has enough stuffing and structure to continue its slow development in the cellar for two decades and beyond. Drink now–2050.

• Food Pairings
  • Hard Cheese
  • Cured Meat
  • Red Meat
• Critic Reviews

  100 pts

  James Suckling

  The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don't touch this until after 2015. 

  99 pts

  Vinous

  In two recent tastings the 2005 Château Margaux has been nothing less than magnificent. A wine of stunning perfume and inner sweetness, the 2005 gradually opens to reveal layers of red-toned fruit intermingled with floral accents. It's as if all the classic Margaux signatures have been amped up in a huge way. Dehydration on the vine concentrated the fruit, but also the impression of tannin and acid, such that the 2005 retains huge fruit density along with plenty of brightness as well. Vibrant and beautifully layered, the 2005 Grand Vin is off the charts and easily one of the wines of the vintage. Readers who own it or can find it are in for a real treat. Tasted two times.

  98+ pts

  Wine Advocate

  The first-growth 2005 Château Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45+ seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5–10 years and last at least 25 or more years.

  98 pts

  Decanter

  This extraordinary wine announces its brilliance at first glance, with a bright curranty fruit aromas that expand quietly at first until one realizes the depth of concentration and flavour it possesses, with exotic spices, smoke, leather, and earth. The blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, aged in new casks, produces a silky texture, perfect balance, and enough substance to give fantastic length without any heaviness. This wine was a unanimous favourite in the flight.