Bordeaux 2024: ‘Tremendous’ Margaux completes the first growth releases
Château Margaux has released its stable of 2024 wines, and, like the other first growths, at some of the lowest prices currently available.
Château Margaux 2024 was released this morning (Monday 2 June) with a 25% price cut on its 2023 vintage’s opening offer.
Its release is the last of the first growths this campaign, and like the others its 2024 vintage is among the cheapest wines available to collectors.
Also out was Château Ducru-Beaucaillou as this en primeur campaign moves into its final stages.
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Analysis: Château Margaux 2024
The Margaux appellation’s eponymous first growth was released ex-négociant at €276 per bottle. This is a cut of 25% on the 2023 vintage.
UK merchants are currently offering the wine for £1,620 per six bottles in-bond.
It was a difficult vintage for the first growth for many reasons. As consultancy group Wine Lister noted, the estate lost a number of tractors in a fire just before the harvest and had to borrow equipment from neighbours.
Furthermore, the estate took the decision to not break its organic farming despite the extremely wet weather that the region experienced throughout the growing season.
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The results have garnered strong scores from critics. Margaux was Decanter Bordeaux editor Georgie Hindle’s top-rated first growth.
She gave it a score of 97-points saying it was a ‘tremendous effort from Margaux’.
She added: ‘Beautiful, this is just what you expect from Margaux, precision and perfection with a lively acidity and crushed stone chalkiness on the finish.’
The substantial cut in price places the new vintage at a compelling price for collectors.
Fine wine platform Liv-ex pointed out that the 2021 was available for a slight discount but Wine Lister thought that its price, ‘combined with its powerhouse brand, should encourage demand’.
Other releases
Second label, Pavillon Rouge, was also released and is being offered for £528 per 6x75cl IB.
The 2024 looks even more compelling when compared to back vintages and is available at a ‘significant discount’ said Wine Lister.
Château Ducru-Beaucaillou was released a little later this morning, at €90 p/b ex-négociant. Offering a cut of 26% on its 2023, the new vintage is being offered at around £528 per 6x75cl IB.
Hindle rated the wine 95-points, calling it, ‘elegant and enjoyable’.
The new vintage also compares favourably to older vintages, sitting at a considerable discount to those already available by quite some margin.
Recent releases
Margaux’s appearance shakes up a relatively quiet spell in this year’s campaign. Other releases of late have included Château Palmer, Brane-Cantenac and Trotanoy.
Both Brane-Cantenac and Trotanoy were judged as offering reasonable value to potential buyers.
However, Liv-ex noted that Palmer 2024, ‘is priced above several similarly or better rated recent vintages’, which included the 99-point 2019.
The wines are available for the following prices per six bottles IB (and their Decanter score):
- Château Palmer – £950 (95)
- Château Brane-Cantenac – £213 (95)
- Château Trotanoy – £850 (95)
Click here for more scores from the vintage
Related articles
- Bordeaux 2024: Full vintage review and top-scoring wines
- Bordeaux 2024: ‘Marvellous’ Mouton cuts price by a quarter
- Bordeaux 2024: Château Cos d’Estournel price falls by 29%
