The Grand Vin 2022 Château Margaux checks in as 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc that's pulled from just 40% of the total production. Brought up in new barrels, it has a terrific pH of 3.61, which is low for the vintage, and an alcohol of 14.3%, with the highest level of tannins since 2010. It brings another level of purity, elegance, and finesse, and it is just a sensational, legendary Margaux in the making. Crème de cassis blue fruits, spring flowers, lead pencil, and violets all define the bouquet, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a layered, seamlessly textured, flawlessly balanced profile. While it shows the ripe, pure, already accessible style of the vintage, I wouldn't be surprised to see this close down over the coming 7-8 years, given its density and structure, and it's not going to hit its prime drinking window until 15-20 years after the vintage. It should be one of those wines that evolve gracefully over the following 50-75 years.

(98-100 points) The bushel of red and black fruits initially get your attention before discovering all the violets, white flowers, cedar, and cigar box aromas in the perfume. On the palate, the wine is silky, sensuous, rich, and almost viscous. The fruit comes in layers, and does not stop building in intensity. The wine is poised between weight and lift, with an energetic finish delivering a powerful wall of cashmere-textured, red and black fruits that hold your focus for at least 60 seconds. This is a unique style for Chateau Margaux that is difficult to compare with previous vintages due to its levels of ABV and concentration. But I love it! The wine blends 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. All the Petit Verdot was placed into Pavillon Rouge. 14.6% ABV, is the highest ABV in the history of the estate. 3.61 pH. Yields were barely 25 hectoliters per hectare. The Grand Vin was produced using only 40% of the harvest. Picking took place September 8 - September 28, making this one of the earliest starts to a vintage in the history of the estate. Drink from 2030-2065. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2022%20Chateau%20Margaux

The 2022 Château Margaux obliged reams of superlatives from barrel. Now in bottle, it is a stone-cold breathtaking First Growth that belongs on the mantelpiece alongside the 1959 and 1983. That said, at first, the aromatics are bashful, yet it takes little to unfurl in jaw-dropping fashion, armed with heavenly pure black fruits laced with peony and iris flower and exuding mineralité (which is a mighty achievement given the season). The palate is imbued with stunning pixelation. There is a little more structure than I recall—an enthralling sense of architecture and thrilling tension, the pH of around 3.65 imparting acidic spine. Winemaker Philippe Bascaule remarked that he cannot compare the 2022 to another vintage. This is a profound Château Margaux that sets a contemporary benchmark. -- Neal Martin

I have never encountered a wild Margaux like this. Cassis and blackcurrant aromas with hints of crushed stones and bitter chocolate. The palate is full-bodied but not heavy or ponderous. Really well-structured with fantastic fine tannins that tighten on the palate, giving this so much liveliness and length. Compacted and energetic at the end. 92% cabernet sauvignon and 6% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Exceptional. Best after 2029.

Clear precision and intensity to the aromatics, and the tannins here are silky, enticing, this is squid ink, plum puree, cloves, turmeric, fragrant cardamon and crushed mint. Concentrated and mouthfilling, while retaining the succulent finesse that Margaux delivers so effortlessly. A wonderful wine that will age for decades. 25hl/h yield. 100% new oak for ageing, Philippe Bascaules director.

The grand vin takes 40% of the harvest, and after Pavillon Rouge this leaves 28% to be divided between the third wine and the bulk wine. The blend is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the élevage all in new oak. This presents the same forward fruit as in Pavillon Rouge, but here enhanced by notes of tobacco, fine leather, currant and lightly salted black olive, with little notes of crushed oyster shell and violets. The palate is elegant, very svelte, with a serious yet finessed frame, riven with fine powdery tannins which add a superb structure, ripe and finely knit together, harmonious and yet imbuing the palate with a finessed energy. It finishes with a flourish of sweet and dark fruits, with a long grip of finely contracting tannins. Very fine and sinewy, with great freshness, the acidity also giving the wine shape. A stunning example of Margaux, with great length;a future classic, for sure. The alcohol on the label is 14.5% on the label. - Chris Kissack

Soft floral aromatics take time to emerge, revealing violets, blackcurrants, tobacco, cedar, and tar. Deep and seductive, layers of scents - violets, blackcurrants, tobacco, liquorice, slate, tar, cedar. Silky tannins and concentrated fruit create an effortlessly graceful wine. Harmonious in every element - tannins, acidity, and freshness are perfectly aligned. A soft caress rather than a bold embrace, but with strength and backbone. I love the juicy core with excellent acidity. Clean and precise. I can't see this not being enjoyable at any time over the next 10-20 years. 3.61pH.

(97+ points) The 2022 Château Margaux has come together brilliantly with élevage. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries, cedary pencil shavings and pen ink that are deftly framed by new oak, it's full-bodied, dense and layered, with a concentrated core of intensely sweet fruit, broad structural shoulders and a long, resonant finish. With air, it only becomes more voluptuous, yet that's controlled by underlying tannic grip to deliver a more classical profile than was apparent during élevage. - William Kelley