Wine recommendation Chateau Margaux 1996
Recommendation for April 2006
This months recomendation is a very exclusive parcel of what is known to be a wine of the highest quality. Our Buyers in Europe have did a great job in negotiating this parcel at an excellent price.
Chateau Margaux 1996 – 3252 Euro Case of 12 Bottles, Original Wooden Cases 12 x 75 cl
This parcel was obtained from a very large cellar which was been sold off and we managed to get exactly the price we were bidding for in the market.
Have you heard of Chateau Margaux before?
This is the only first growth from its commune of Margaux. Chateau Margaux is suffused with aristocracy, luxury and indeed tragedy; its grand portico symbolizes Bordeaux.
The Vintage is 1996 packed in 12 bottles in the original wooden cases. We can email you some photos of the stock if you wish.
Now not only is this wine extremely hard to find at this price but it is renowned as such an exceptional year. It’s been sourced at a very low price of 3252 Euros per case of 12 Bottles, the provenance is perfect and they are sitting in our Bonded warehouse account waiting to be transferred into their proud owners name.
As far as an investment goes this wine can be a good investment long term because of its exclusivity. The longer you can hold this wine the better because as this wine is drank in fine restaurants around the world, its price will continue to rise as it becomes harder to source in good quantities.
Chateau Margaux is known as rather a romantic wine and has suffered a tumultuous history compared to other first growths. It was sequestrated by the State to a man named “Migeau” who bled Chateau Margaux high and dry so that by the beginning of the 19th century it was valued far less than Chateau Lafite. From 1921 the chateau was owned by a syndicate headed by Pierre Moreau However the 1960’s and 1970’s are regarded as a lackadaisical attitude towards the quality of its wine, adopting misguided views that status alone would guarantee its reputations.
Robert Parker, publically lambasted vintages between 1961 and 1977 and said, do not ignore the wonderful ‘66 but do ignore the non-vintage Chateau Margaux made by blending the 63, 64 and 1965 vintages.
Pierre Ginestet sold the estate in 1976 to the French supermarket group: “Félix Potin” whose Greek owner, Mentzelopoulos had a major share in the “Nicolas” wine company.
Mentzelopoulos implemented improvements including the replanting of 12 hectares, a second-year chai, stricter selection from the vats and renovation of the chateau building, a complete refurbishment of the chateau. He died in 1980 but his daughter Corinne Mentzelopoulos took over and displayed the fortitude to continue his work restoring the chateau to its former glory.
A succession of superlative wines from 1978 onwards prove the efforts yielded tangible results and Chateau Margaux has reclaimed its status as a First Growth. Corinne took over as sole shareholder of the estate in March 2003 when she bought the majority stake belonging to the “Agnelli Group”. Since 83 she has entrusted the management to Paul Pontallier who must take much of the credit for some superlative wines over the last two decades. Chateau Margaux has made great wines in recent years and the fact that the property is now under single ownership bodes well for the future. As long as a chateau has a dedicated owner and a dedicated manager the rest always seems to fall into place.
Notes from the Chateau itself in September 2002 were I quote “This complicated year taught us many lessons as it differed completely from the usual very probably too simple a pattern of the great vintages. It may well be that the heavy rain which came at the end of September was in fact a help to the ripening of the Cabernet Sauvignon as it probably was the case in 1995 rather than the opposite as we feared. Whatever the explanation this vintage ended up producing a wine which will go down in history for its classicism and purity. The Cabernet Sauvignon has seldom achieved such a perfection of style and such good balance. What is even rarer perhaps is to find in a young wine only just after its blending the ability to impress and move us at once through the purity of its fruit, the density of its structure and the harmony of its shape. It is a dream of a Margaux. Today the Chateau Margaux 1996 has lost none of that grace of course it should not be drunk now but the temptation is great. We dare to recommend all the same keeping it for at least twelve to fifteen years in order to give it the time to transform this grace into real drinking pleasure”.
A 1900 Vintage of Chateau Margaux is priced today at 60,000 Pounds and was probably purchased for only a few shillings when first released.
Sandy Block from Beverage Business Massachusetts Comments on the 1996 saying “it has a reputation for having produced bold, powerfully structured, highly extracted wines at its highest levels in the Medoc. If it’s 2OOO was surprising for its balance and elegance, Margaux 1996 provided an even bigger shock: it was positively velvety, with subtle tones of smooth black cherry and violet, grace notes of green pepper and spice. Many critics regarded this as the finest Bordeaux of the vintage, which it may well be, As with the 2OOO, Cabernet notes are dominant, although the acids seem even softer, the tannins interestingly less intense. This is a wine made from perfectly ripe fruit, the beneficiary of one of Bordeaux’s magnanimous Indian summers. Weather in 1996 was unexceptional until September. Toward the end of this crucial month it rained and then dried out again. October proved exemplary, which was quite beneficial to properties like Margaux which had the faith to delay harvesting until the return of good weather”.
“The 1996 is still youthful and somewhat muted in expression, but its class is evident in the length of the finish, the fineness of the tannic structure and the sweet, almost exotic lushness of its fruit. Altogether the wine struck me as slightly richer but at the same time less powerfully extracted than the 2OOO, at virtually the same level of quality. I rated it a half step behind, third most desirable of the great vintages on display, and felt that its fleshier fruit would suit it even better to New World Cabernet palates than the equally delicious 2OOO. If I were guessing as to which would have more ultimate staying power it would be 2OOO, but the 1996 is a wine that will be with us for quite a long time as well. Like the 2OOO, it is deceptively forward and irresistible now”.
John Stimpfig from Decanter.com “In a decanter tasting in December 2002 the Margaux was highly recommended With five stars. Notes were Toasty, oaky nose (slight smokiness). Bold, richly structured palate. Fine, dry tannins and deep, ripe black fruits. Touch of minerals. Beautiful. Drink 5-10 years”.
Stevn Tanzer gave it 96 Points and viewed it as “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. Drink 2015 through 2040”.
Strats Place noted the Chateau Margaux, 1996: “With a color so deep it might justifiably be considered black, this full bodied wine boasts smooth but well distinguished tannins, an almost flowery bouquet (look for violets and orange flowers) and flavors of berries and minerals. Dense and concentrated, the wine is barely approachable now and will be at its peak only in another 8 – 10 years. Score 94. Tasted in 30 December 2000”.
Long term cellerage of fine wine generally reaps good results over the long term, especially for highly rated vintages like this Chateau Margaux vintage 1996. We highly recommend this as a buy recommendation. You will be proud of this vintage in your wine portfolio in years to come.
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