Château Du Tertre Margaux 2017

£45.99

This 5ème Classed Growth Margaux comes from a thousand-year-old estate whose vineyards, stretching over 52 hectares, remain unchanged since the 1855 classification. From 1997 until his death in 2018, it remained in the hands of Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma, who invested in the large-scale overall restructuring and cemented its reputation as a leading property in Margaux.

The 2017 is beautifully aromatic with red berry fruits, spice, mushrooms and dark plum on the nose. It is majority Cabernet Sauvignon, with equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and then a splash of Petit Verdot giving an elegant, silky Margaux, with an emphasis on subtle spicing. Additional notes of lavender, tea leaf and cassis persist, but there is also the unmistakable richness of black chocolate, white pepper and cloves. The ’17s were uniformly approachable in their relative youth, but this wine is really starting to come into its own now. Still pleasantly restrained, but now with generously silky, integrated tannins, and a complex herb and spice but no less delectably juicy finish.