2023 Bordeaux Wine Magazine: Chateau Margaux 2022 tasting notes and ratings on futures and ratings “en primeur” by Ronald Rens, M.Sc., Wine Master, Bordeaux Expert
Margaux 2022, as elegant and imposing as the chateau’s façade.
In all its splendor Chateau Margaux remains a family affair. Owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos now works with her two children: Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos and Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, the one who welcomed me at this First Growth. All elegance of the Palladian building is set aside for the tasting of the wine. I taste in the chai from simple wooden tables in a moderately lit and slightly chilly room.
At Margaux they consider 2022 an easy vintage in the vineyard. Very dry, so hardly any mildew. An early harvest brought in a relatively small crop, about 30% less volume than in an average year. The oldest vines stood up best to the heat. On the younger vines, Margaux lost about 35% of the crop. The hot vintages made for small grapes. A soft extraction was needed in search of the best tannins. Less volume but a better quality permitted that the Grand Vin represents 40% of the crop. Normally this would be around 35%.
2022 is the first vintage without Petit Verdot in the blend. In the future we will see less Merlot in the blend as this grape variety is partially replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to fight the high alcohol levels due to global warming.
Pavillion Rouge de Chateau Margaux 2022 (18,5+ points/20)
[64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc]
The wine shows and intense red color with some hints of purple but is far from the inky black color that I have seen elsewhere. The nose takes some time to open up with some pleasant fresh black and red fruit. On the palate I was almost overwhelmed by the power of this wine. And this is “just” a second wine. This is probably the most powerful Pavilion Rouge I have ever tasted on futures. Beautiful fruit with well-integrated tannins and extraordinary length for a second wine.
Chateau Margaux 2022 (19,5+ points/20)
[92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc]
Chateau Margaux 2022 is aged in 100% new oak barrels.
The color is even more intense and deeper than the pavilion Rouge. The nose is discreet with some fruity and floral notes but seems reluctant to show its true colors as is often the case with barrel samples of Chateau Margaux.
This Margaux lives up to the reputation of a fist of iron in a velvet glove. An incredible power, but without losing the typical elegance that is the hallmark of a great Chateau Margaux. The special care they took during the vinification paid off: the beautiful silky tannins are a pleasure right now and will accompany this great wine in decades to come. All elements are there for a wine for the long term. The pure fruit is interwoven with the perfect tannins in a way that only Chateau Margaux can produce. The wine shows the remarkable freshness of the vintage and contributes to a perfect balance. Even at Margaux nobody really understands where this freshness is coming from, but it is sure that it saved the vintage.
Pavillion Blanc of Chateau Margaux 2022 (18,5- points/20)
[This white wine of Chateau Margaux is, as always, made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc]
The white wines suffered as much from the heat in 2022 as the reds and maybe even more. Where the reds miraculously show this freshness, the whites generally lack some freshness and Margaux is no exception. Only 50% of the crop made it into the Pavilion Blanc, in line with previous vintages. New is that there is a second wine to the Pavilion Blanc. This second wine consists of 50% of the 50% that didn’t make into the Pavilion Blanc.
The color of this wine is light straw yellow with some golden tinges. The nose is not so exuberant as previous vintages but shows some nice fresh (citrus) fruit. On the palate the wine shows crisp and round with pleasant fruit impressions. I miss some of the freshness that I appreciate in a dry white wine. The wine is without a doubt very enjoyable and has a satisfactory length.
More Bordeaux 2022 tasting notes and ratings:
| 2022 Chateau Ausone | 2022 Chateau Cheval Blanc | 2022 Chateau Angelus | 2022 Chateau Pavie |
|2022 Chateau Lafite Rothschild | 2022 Chateau Mouton Rothschild | 2022 Chateau Latour | 2022 Chateau Margaux |
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