JAMES SUCKLING: "So much ash, tobacco and earth to the bright blackberry and currant aromas. Flowers too. Fresh. Full-bodied with seamless tannins that spread across your palate and caress every square centimeter. It's shows loads of ripe-berry, cherry, currant and chocolate character, as well as walnut and light cedar. Then the finish goes on for minutes. Extremely refined and elegant, despite the structure. 90% cabernet sauvignon, 4% cabernet franc, 4% merlot and 2% petit verdot. A joy to taste, but drink after 2025."

ROBERT PARKER - THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Château Margaux is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, representing 36% of the crop this year. The wine has a pH of 3.8 and 14% alcohol. Deep purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal tantalizing scents of crème de cassis, wild blueberries and Black Forest cake with hints of redcurrant jelly, rose oil, dark chocolate and cedar chest plus a touch of star anise. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with opulent black fruit, fragrant earth and floral layers, supported by a rock-solid structure of exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and seamless backbone of freshness, finishing with fantastic length. This is classic Margaux at its most seductive, although it is, rather amazingly, approachable and absolutely delicious right now. But, to enjoy its full glory, you will want to cellar it for at least 6-8 years and then watch it metamorphize over the next 40+ years."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, feiner Wasserrand. Süße tabakige Nuancen, saftige schwarze Beerenfrucht, zart nach Cassis und Lakitze, feiner Edelholztouch, rotbeerige Noten unterlegt, öffnet sich gut mit etwas Luft. Saftig, reife Herzkirschen, Brombeerkonfit, seidige, tragende Tannine, rotbeerig und mit einer bezaubernden Frische ausgerüstet, salzig-mineralisch, zeigt sich bereits sehr zugänglich, verführerische Frühphase, sicheres Entwicklungspotenzial. (2020-2070) - Peter Moser"