Margaux du Château Margaux 2009 was produced from a great vintage, and posseses all those attributes: a deep, dark colour, a rich nose, it is voluptuous, already complex where flowery and spicy hints mingle with those of cocoa. The impression on the mouth reflects the intensity of the aromas; it is full-flavoured, rich and impressive, structured by well-softened tannins. The finish is soft, both warm and fresh. This wine is very powerful and concentrated - even more so than the first and second wines, and is quite remarkably open and easy to drink, which is probably owing to the personality of the vintage as much as to the Château Margaux terroir.
Margaux
Climate
After a cold, dry winter, the weather turned rainy and cool in April, causing a rather late bud-break and a somewhat slow growth of the vine shoots. As from May 1st however, temperatures rose quite sharply and settled above the seasonal norms, without ever reaching excessive highs. This allowed a quick and successful flowering that promised a very even ripening of the berries.
By then a drought had begun to set in, though in these early days we had no idea of how severe and long it would actually be. Very few vintages (apart from the 2005) have been so dry. It hardly rained from July 10th until the end of the harvest on October 14th!
Such dry weather is particularly beneficial to the great terroirs which can regulate the water supply to the vines, and also to Cabernet Sauvignon because it is less affected by drought than Merlot. Still, some of the vines planted in lighter and less clayey soils struggled to get their grapes perfectly ripe.
While these very dry months had some very hot days, the nights remained rather cool. This contrast helped the tannins and anthocyanins to concentrate in the skins of the red. All the pieces were gradually falling into place to make 2009 a really outstanding vintage. (The picking began September 24th).