2000 Château Margaux, Margaux, Bordeaux

Violet and iris aromatics curling out of the glass, starting to reach their full expression at 20 years old. Beautifully finessed and elegant, with hints of black truffle, cloves and rich blackberry fruits, this is a vintage that showcases the best of Margaux. It took its time to reach this point but it has been worth the wait, and the wine just gets better and better over a few hours in the glass. Highlights the success of the partnership between owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos and director Paul Pontantallier, with this château delivering some of the most memorable wines of the turn of the century years in Bordeaux.

Drink 2020 - 2050

The 2000 is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot brought up new barrels.

Tasted from magnum, the 2000 Château Margaux is a prodigious, flawless wine that shows the elegance and seductive hallmark of the estate paired with incredible density, depth, and richness. Its still-ruby/purple colour is followed by sensational notes of crème de cassis, spring flowers, lead pencil, and sandalwood that develop beautifully with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, opulent, and seamless, with a multi-dimensional, layered texture, it has a massive mid-palate, sweet tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. It’s drinking brilliantly today, and there’s certainly no need to delay gratification, but it’s going to continue evolving for another 3-4 decades. Bordeaux or red wine, for that matter) doesn’t get any better.

Absolutely compelling in two tastings of this vintage, the 2000 Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. The extraordinary seductiveness, complex aromatics, and purity it exhibits lead me to believe it has reached its window of full maturity. Medium-bodied, with layers of concentration, stunning blue, red, and black fruits intermixed with spring flowers, a subtle dosage of new oak, and a distinctive personality that is elegant while at the same time powerful and substantial, this is a multi-dimensional wine that was extremely approachable and drinkable in both tastings I had of it. The colour remains healthy, even opaque bluish/purple, but there is no reason to hesitate to drink it. It should evolve for another 30-40 years, so there is no hurry.

Drink 2012 - 2050

Dark ruby with some development and a remarkably similar colour to Lafite 2000. A little raw and unresolved on the nose. A bit scrawnier than some 2000s. Not luscious certainly. Still quite teenage. Long with quite a bit of interest on the finish but it probably needs a bit of time to really come into focus. For the moment it's a bit awkward with very marked tannins.

Drink 2016 - 2030

Full ruby-red. Penetrating, highly perfumed aromas of sappy dark berries, violet and minerals; seems less oaky today than the '01. Offers compelling mouth-filling concentration and perfume. A wine of great power and consistency, with a pungent minerality lingering on the palate-staining finish. This somehow doesn't flag or grow narrower even after one swallows or spits. Makes the 2002 seem almost dry in comparison. Wine-of-the-vintage material.

Tasted at the château.

The 2000 Château Margaux remains one of the standouts of the millennial year. This bottle is consistent with the previous example. It's deep in color. The aromatics are intense and backward, opening with blackberry, crushed violet and pencil box scents with time, but there remains a sense of beguiling aloofness, as if you are so lucky to be in its presence, which you are. The palate has a large structure for this First Growth, yet there is a sense of pliancy with a multi-layered, very persistent, satin-textured finish. Divine.

Drink 2023 - 2075

This thrilling wine from a textbook year is dark in colour and shows pronounced aromas of ripe mulberry and black plum fruit, with hints of spice and smoke – the aromas are youthful, and still show some influence from the cask ageing. The texture is lush and dense, with firmish tannins, a plump feel and a warm, approachable texture. Has the substance to age for decades to come. The results in the glass are in every way a fulfilment of the promise of the millennial year.

Drink 2023 - 2070

Tasted blind, the 2000 Chateau Margaux was a reminder of the peaks the millennial vintage could reach. Noticeably deep in colour, the bouquet rivets you to the seat with copious red berry fruit, clove and truffle, with hints of cedar emerging with time. As the aromatics open and aerate, the fruit profile darkens and manifests blackcurrants and bilberries. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin. This First Growth conveys immense depth and symmetry, which is quite masculine for the estate, with a gentle but insistent grip. It is a brilliant wine that flirts with perfection. Afford it another 3-4 years if you can because it will last decades.

Drink 2020 - 2060