This stunning wine is one of the vintage’s great successes. Administrator Thomas Duroux has fashioned a modern day version of Palmer’s brilliant 1966. Displaying a rare combination of power and elegance, this dense purple-colored offering exhibits notes of blackberries, truffles, flowers, incense, and camphor. Long, classic, and medium to full-bodied with stunning texture and richness, this superb effort is a candidate for the finest Margaux of the vintage. (RP)

This wine hits the opulent end of the spectrum, with its dense, velvet structure, and superrich fruit. But it is not weighed down with this richness, because the pure fruit, the fine lines of the tannins and the very precise character of the vanilla from the wood all give liveliness. *Editors' Choice* (RV)

A blend of 47% Merlot, 46% Cabernet and 7% Petit Verdot from a large and bountiful crop, this was Thomas Duroux’s debut vintage at the estate. 2004 was also a classic vintage in Margaux and this is certainly on the elegant end of the spectrum, with cedar, cassis and shoe polish on the nose. The palate has poise and balance with a linear acidity, medium chalky, fine grained tannins alongside a delicious hit of primary blackcurrant and cherry fruit followed by a long mineral finish. Twelve years on from the vintage, this excellent 2004 is just beginning to move into its next phase of development when it will become even more complex and drinkable. (JS)