Best Margaux 2018 wines: A ‘highlight’ of en primeur
Margaux appellation has lots of great wines and was a highlight of the en primeur tastings, despite wildly varying fortunes on yields, says Jane Anson.
Search all Margaux 2018 wines tasted
Weather stats
This appellation’s statistics really encapsulate the ‘two halves’ notion of the Bordeaux 2018 vintage.
Margaux saw 630mm of rain from from 1 January to 10 July across the appellation, and then just 44m more until end of September – 25mm of which arrived in a burst at the end of July. Rainfall in August was 42% below average, and 77% down on the norm in September.Temperature-wise, July was one degree higher than normal, with the first 10 days of August four degrees above the 30-year average.There were 179 sunshine hours over the summer, 18% more than average. September had just three cloudy days, although temperatures were not excessive in this period.
‘Haves and have nots’
It is a tale of ‘haves and have nots’ in the Margaux appellation in 2018.
There was hail in the early part of the season, and again in July on the day that France won the World Cup, and then the mildew, and then the drought that made some young vines and gravelly soils suffer.
Château La Lagune was one of the worst affected by both hail and mildew. It produced extremely small quantities of wine that were not shown during en primeur.
Palmer, Durfort-Vivens and La Gurgue also reported very small harvests. Others fared much better and the average yield for the Margaux appellation was 37 hectolitres per hectare, according to the local wine union.
‘Appeal and sexiness’
Having said all this, the appellation was something of a highlight for me.
I found lots of great wines, with most châteaux doing a great job of delivering signature and personality that felt true to the appellation and to their own estates.
In terms of style, it felt more 2009 or 2015 in style, with appeal and sexiness, as opposed to 2016, although there is structure in the 18s, too.
Many have big alcohols, big tannin counts and relatively high pHs, and yet they manage to convey seduction and polish rather than shouting too loud.
See the top scoring wines below, but I would also highlight Angludet and Siran as potential value picks in this vintage.
Best Margaux 2018 wines
The following wines were scored 93 points and above. See all Margaux wines tasted here.
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Château Palmer, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Beautifully rich even on the nose, this makes you smile from the first moment. On the palate things are intense and concentrated, as you might...
2018
Château PalmerMargaux
Château Margaux, Margaux, 1er Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is extremely powerful, with high tannin levels that are beautifully velvety and a real presence that is going to need a good 15 years...
2018
Château MargauxMargaux
Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
I very much enjoyed this en primeur and I am happy to see it living up to billing. There is real nuance here, with a...
2018
Château Rauzan-SéglaMargaux
Château d'Issan, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Well-balanced, fleshed out by redcurrant, raspberry and black cherry fruits. There is tannic build-up, gently layering but adding up to quite the wall at this...
2018
Château d'IssanMargaux
Château Brane-Cantenac, Margaux, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Deep and generous blackberry fruits and rich chocolate, there is good balance here with depth and interest and a ton of flavour. Really good stuff,...
2018
Château Brane-CantenacMargaux
Château Giscours, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Brushed damson, fine but firm tannins, lots of dark deep fruits and powerful oak that slightly detracts from appellation typicity. This is confident and good-quality...
2018
Château GiscoursMargaux
Château Cantenac Brown, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This has a lot of elegance even though it is a powerful wine; there is a lovely lifting freshness through the palate along with ripples...
2018
Château Cantenac BrownMargaux
Château Durfort-Vivens, Margaux, 2ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
I loved this en primeur and love it now, in its concentration and depth but also its ability to rise towards the finish and keep...
2018
Château Durfort-VivensMargaux
Château Marojallia, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, 2018
A more serious version of the Clos Margalaine, this is more typically Margaux, showing real juiciness, freshness and appeal, with good persistency. It's good quality...
2018
Château MarojalliaMargaux
Château Prieuré-Lichine, Margaux, 4ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Power, character and succulence abound with well-handled cassis and damson fruits. This is good-quality with chocolate shavings, silky tannins and a heavily spiced finish. A...
2018
Château Prieuré-LichineMargaux
Château Dauzac, Margaux, 5ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Vibrant purple in colour with clear fruit aromatics of redcurrant and raspberry, this has vibrancy and lift and is full of life. The juicy fruit...
2018
Château DauzacMargaux
Château Angludet, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, 2018
There was no Angludet last year because of frost, so it's good to see it back in 2018. It's making a sterling return, even if...
2018
Château AngludetMargaux
Château Malescot St Exupéry, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Confident and balanced. This is enjoyable, with enough graphite and chocolate shavings to ensure a gourmet take on the vintage, but not going over the...
2018
Château Malescot St ExupéryMargaux
Château Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Despite being right next door, this stands above sibling estate Pouget in 2018. It demonstrates excellent freshness, with sculpted dark fruits, good balance and a...
2018
Château Boyd-CantenacMargaux
Château Siran, Margaux, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Youthful, plush and opulent, boasting concentrated aromas of ripe black berry fruit, violet lift and fresh cedar oak spice. The well-structured palate supports fleshy black...
2018
Château SiranMargaux
Château Kirwan, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2018
The dark and serious fruit here is less exuberant than some and heads towards a more intellectual take on the vintage, possibly due to the...
2018
Château KirwanMargaux
