I don’t actually have too much to say about , save for a few distinguishing facts. First is that unlike most of the other Bordeaux appellations, the château here are not spread out evenly throughout the countryside, but rather clustered around the villages. Second, is that Margaux has some of the thinnest soil in all of the Médoc, which means that the roots of the grapevines have been known to go down as deep as 23 feet into the ground to access water!

Returning, as we always must, to the 1855 classification, Margaux has just one first growth- creatively named Château Margaux. But, it has more second and third growths than anywhere else in the Médoc. Logic would say, then, that the largest concentration of fine Bordeaux can be found here.

The wine I sampled, the 2003 Château d'Angludet, though not even classified (it's a Cru Bourgeois, and the Wine Atlas does say that this château makes wine of “classed-growth quality”), did not disappoint. It was by far my most favorite left bank wine of the bunch.

It was very dark, with rosy pink edges. The nose was super fragrant, smelling of cherries, raspberries, blackberries, a bit of oak and spice. While more full than most of the Bordeaux have been, I still thought it was more of a medium-bodied wine. It was earthy with smooth tannins and a white wine like minerality on the finish. It didn’t have the aged taste (i.e. bacon) I’ve gotten from a lot of older wines lately, maybe it wasn’t old enough yet. It certainly could’ve continued to age. It did taste of pepper and leather. Super pleasant!

The Score: ★★★★