2012 Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux

Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Chteau Margaux has a taut, linear, pencil lead-infused bouquet with pure blackberry and boysenberry scents, an undercurrent of tobacco that surfaces after five minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, a life-affirming sense of balance with well-integrated new oak towards the finish. I concur with robert_parker that his has become more structured and masculine in bottle, yet there is pedigree here from start to finish, a sense of effortlessness that is seductive. This is a top-class wine from the late Paul Pontallier and his team. Tasted January 2016.Neil Martin - 28/10/2016

Superb density of 87% Cabernet fruit, supreme ripeness, depth and perfect harmony, has firmness for a great future.

Heady and very much in the same style as the Pavillon but a bit more emphatic. Grand – not in a monumental sense because there is nothing big about this. Very discreet and I think the two wines are closer together than usual. jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com, 22 Apr 2013

This quintessentially finesse-styled Margaux exhibits notes of pure black currants, spring flowers, graphite and forest floor. With supple tannins and medium body, this pretty, stylish effort reminds me of the 2001 or perhaps a modern day, improved version of their 1979. The lovely 2012 should be drinkable in 4-5 years and last for two decades. Only about one-third of the total production made it into the 2012 Chateau Margaux, which is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Like many Medoc first-growths in this vintage, this estate-s aim was to make an elegant, supple-styled 2012 that emphasized the fruit, charm and delicacy of this terroir rather than pushing extraction and going for a powerhouse, which would have been difficult to produce in a vintage like 2012. The natural alcohol is 13%. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - Apr 2013

Shows a tight nose, but manages to convey pure, fresh notes of red fruit and violet. Almost sleek, with fine-grained tannins carrying the red currant paste and iron accents. The plum skin-tinged finish sings, displaying remarkable integration already. A very impressive showing today. Tasted non-blind.james_molesworth, Wine Spectator, April 8 2013