2008 Margaux

96 POINTS

Jane Anson - Decanter Magazine

A generous, subtle, cassis-led wines with floral edging, the epitome of elegance. It manages to achieve persistency and length in a vintage where this wasn't a given. This is what you are paying the money for; the ability to still deliver a combination of concentration and freshness, year on year. The layers here are more subtle than in some vintages perhaps, but they still perform that rather clever trick of slowly but surely building up over the course of the palate, one extra sleight of hand at a time, until you are fully enveloped.

94 POINTS

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

This is a stunning Chateau Margaux, made in a sexy, up-front, elegant style, with deep creme de cassis fruit intermixed with spring flowers, a solid inner core of richness and depth, but again, very sweet tannins as well as striking minerality and elegance. One of the most seductive Chateau Margauxs given its recent bottling, this blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot should drink beautifully for the next 25-30 years. Remarkably, a mere 36% of the entire production was selected for the 2008 Chateau Margaux.

94 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2008 Château Margaux has an attractive bouquet of mulberry, red plum, briary, a hint of rose petal rather than its signature note of violets. It gains intensity with aeration, but to my surprise it feels quite forward for a 10-year old First Growth. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite Pauillac in style thanks to that graphite seam that surfaces towards the finish. It is a precise, classic Château Margaux that really delivers its intensity in the final quarter. I came away with the impression that it just does not quite slip from fourth to fifth gear. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)

93 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff Magazine

Strong ruby ​​with purple reflections and subtle rim brightening. Dark berry fruit, underpinned with nuances of nougat and caramel, tobacco nuances and orange zest. Taut, balanced, shows silky tannins, a fine chocolate touch, an elegant food companion, savory oak nuances on the finish.

92 POINTS

Ian D'Agata - Vinous

(87% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 1.5% each petit verdot and cabernet franc; 36% of the total crop) Full, bright, purple-tinged ruby. Violet and blackcurrants on the nose; with its dominant black fruits, this is completely different from the Pavillon Rouge, which is all about red fruits. Enters the mouth discreetly, then picks up volume in the middle. Offers sneaky concentration without any impression of weight, offering very pure, fresh blackcurrant, cedar and tobacco flavors and a long, mineral-driven finish. Archetypical Margaux in its aroma profile, this seems superior to the less refined '07.

Richard Hemming MW - JancisRobinson.com

Potent oak giving smoke and charred-meat aromas, as well as plush, polished black fruit and loads of savoury liquorice character. Long and smooth and persistent, with a great sense of intensity without excess volume. Score: 18/20