Château Margaux Margaux 2016

100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Chateau Margaux is deep garnet-purple in color. It is a real struggle to shake loose the aromas, this is so shut down at the moment. Eventually, notes of crème de cassis, blackberry pie, and blueberry compote begin to emerge, followed by licorice, dark chocolate, cumin seed, truffles, and iron ore suggestions. Full-bodied and full-on rich and seductive, the palate is absolutely crammed with bright, crunchy black fruit layers, framed by astonishingly ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing with a firework display of minerals, flowers, and exotic spices. Sell your car and get a few cases of this - you won't regret it! Alcohol 13.5%. Drink: 2027-2067. (12/8/22)"

100 points International Wine Report: "The 2016 Château Margaux is nothing short of pure perfection in this vintage, as this complex, elegant and beautifully textured wine has it all. Assemblage was quite rigorous Château Margaux in 2016, as only 26% of the harvest was selected for the Grand Vin, with the final blend consisting of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot. As for the wine itself, it instantly begins to dazzle as it takes on an incredible aromatic range, which includes fresh wild blueberries and dark currants, along with tar, mocha, anise and fresh florals that all emerge as this is already shining brightly aromatically. The palate is incredibly structured and intense, giving way to an exceedingly deep core that leads seamlessly into the long, graceful finish. While all the elements are in there, the 2016 is merely an infant and needs at least a decade in the cellar before it will be fully accessible. Nonetheless less it pedigree and potential are clearly evident and there is no doubting that this will be a tremendously long lived wine with an absolutely sensational future ahead. Drink: 2029-2059. (Mar 2019)"

99 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Château Margaux (blended of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot) sashays out of the glass with glamorous red currants, candied violets, kirsch and crushed blackcurrants scents followed by notions of tilled black soil, forest floor, cast iron pan and cigar box with subtle wafts of lavender and oolong tea. Medium-bodied, mineral laced accents hover over the palate with an ethereal sensation of weightlessness, yet it is super intense with layers of red and black flavors supported by a firm texture of silt-fine tannins, finishing wonderfully fragrant and incredibly long. Drink: 2024-2063. (Nov 2018)"

99 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "A gorgeous, captivating bouquet gives the 2016 Margaux an irresistible allure. Weightless and yet wonderfully persistent, in the way only the château's wines can be, the 2016 Grand Vin is a wine of exceptional breeding and pedigree. So many wines in this vintage are obvious, but Margaux is a wine that takes time to discover, like a great book or piece of music. Shades of tobacco, cedar, mint, licorice and bright, red-toned fruit reveal themselves over time. And yet it is a sense of total harmony and seductiveness that elevates Margaux into the stratosphere in 2016. Drink: 2026-2066. (Jan 2019)"

99 points James Suckling: "It’s very friendly and warm on the nose showing flowers, such as roses, and red fruit. But then on the palate, it lets you know how serious it is. Full-bodied, yet reserved, extremely tight and well-formed with super polished tannins that go on for minutes. A solid and typical Margaux with all the personality and beauty in strength. Try after 2027. (1/17/19)"

99 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "The blend here is comfortably dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, at an impressive 94% of the total, with 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. This took 28% of the crop. The élevage was in 100% new oak of course, and the wine was bottled in July 2018. It presents an appropriately deep concentration of colour, rather in keeping with the new satin-black bottles in which this wine is now presented. There follows an array of fabulously perfumed aromas, heady and exotic, with a chalky freshness, and fragrant wafts of violet, peony and rose. This is such an incredibly perfumed aromatic profile for a blend so dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, yet it feels so classic for Margaux, being lifted, deft, floral and gravelly. It also swirls with scents of toast, praline and grilled fruits, although it maintains that floral elegance throughout. As a result the aromatic profile seems both complex and contradictory, a fascinating achievement. The palate lives up to the promise of the nose, beginning so elegantly, the poise very correct, with a fresh and polished seam of tannins running through the middle, with the composition of fine-boned china. It is so long and energetic, and yet so reserved in the finish. This is a striking example of the vintage, in a very pure and lifted style. All in all, this is just magnificent. (Dec 2018)"

99 points (19.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "At the top, the 2016 is of monumental constitution, with bright, opulent fruit and, above all, immense freshness. The palate is suave and the finish mentholated. (2020)"

99 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "A bright, red, fresh vintage, the wine provides lift, energy and a nice pop in the red berries. Silky, elegant, lifted and long, there is a gorgeous purity to the black raspberry, black currant and red berry palate. You are going to need to wait for this beauty to develop, as the wine has a lot of structure and freshness that needs to round out. The wine was made from a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. (Sep 2019)"

99 points Wine Enthusiast: "With a rare 94% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, this wine is packed both with black-currant flavors and impressive tannins and acidity. It moves Château Margaux into a new dimension with its dense, dry core of tannins that will power the wine into a seriously long-term future. Drink from 2025. (May 2019)"

98 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2016 Château Margaux represents 28% of the entire production this year. It has an alluring, gorgeous bouquet that blossoms with aeration to reveal black cherries, veins of blue fruit, crushed violet petals and a suggestion of vanilla. The poised, mineral-driven palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin and just the right amount of salinity. The 2015 Château Margaux is ahead by a nose, but this will be a formidable first growth with a five-decade life span. Drink: 2026-2070. (Jan 2019)"

98 points Andy Howard, MW (Decanter): "Refined and typically elegant, 2016 Margaux adds great depth, structure and concentration to the mix. This is a wine to drink in 30-40 years! Only 28% of the production made it into the grand vin and in 2016 much of the Merlot was left out of the final bland. The result is an intense, mineral, black fruit-driven wine with pronounced floral and leafy hints, smooth, ripe tannins and layers of subtle oak. Drinking Window: 2026-2060. (Dec 2021)"

98 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Showing consistently and from a bottle purchased locally and drunk over multiple days, the 2016 Château Margaux is a magical wine that tastes like the essence of Margaux. Red and black currants, blueberries, spring flowers, sandalwood, and crushed violet notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant, seamless profile, gorgeous concentration, and a great finish. The level of freshness, purity, and precision paired with concentration and intensity is truly something to behold. It has some accessibility even today, yet it's going to take another decade for this to come close to the early stages of its prime drinking window. It's going to be a 50-75+ year wine. Drink: 2033-2108. (2/4/23)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "Beautifully rendered, with a lush and seamless flow of cassis, steeped cherry, warmed raspberry and gently mulled blackberry fruit flavors gliding through. Light lilac, savory, mesquite and mineral accents underline the finish, adding additional texture and length. Deep and long, with sublime definition and gorgeous fruit. Best from 2024 through 2040. (3/31/19)"

97 points Falstaff: "Dark ruby garnet, opaque core, subtle brightening on the rim. Clear noble wood savouriness, ripe cherry notes, floral touch, fresh orange zest and a hint of cedar. Juicy, red berries on the palate, fine sweetness, well integrated tannins and on the finish, some nougat and a touch of caramel. This is a rather light-footed, elegant vintage which will be drinking well soon. (Jun 2017)"