When I used to drink this wine as a student, it generally left me a bit cold, but several recent bottles of the 1996 Château Margaux lead me to think that I must have had bad luck with a poorly stored batch of bottles. Along with Haut-Brion, Margaux is the most forward of the 1996 first growths, offering up an expressive bouquet of creamy cassis fruit mingled with cigar wrapper, sweet spices, espresso roast and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, suave and fleshy, with melting tannins and a long, expansive finish, it's in a beautiful place today. (WK)

The 1996 Château Margaux stands as one of the pinnacles during Paul Pontallier's illustrious tenure. I remember it dazzling out of barrel, perhaps my first memory of tasting wine at that prenatal stage. It has retained the fabulous tension and freshness on the nose, every atom infused with mineralité, subtle pressed flower/violet scents unfurling with aeration. The palate has unerring symmetry, perfectly balanced with filigree tannin and lovely acidity. It's a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth and a touch of spice toward the finish show supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth...something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. (NM)

The 1996 Château Margaux comes from a cooler year and has always been a more focused, structured, even reserved wine. It has classic notes of crème de cassis, crushed rocks, graphite, and flowers, with more lead pencil and spice notes developing with time in the glass. While it was impenetrable on release, it’s showing some evolution today and is medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and seamless on the palate, with remarkable length. While I’ve never found this vintage to be at the level of the 1982 or 2000, it’s pure class as well as a thrilling example of the estate. The blend of the 1996 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, and it should continue evolving gracefully for another two decades or more.