The 2005 Chateau Margaux is an extraordinary wine that embodies both finesse and power, boasting remarkable concentration and complexity. Composed predominantly of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage offers a stunning nose of blackcurrants, saddle leather, spring flowers, and spice. Full-bodied with a smooth, velvety texture, it is dense yet strikingly elegant, with a finish that lingers for over 45 seconds. The wine is already impressive, but its true brilliance will unfold over the next few decades, making it one to cellar for the long term. A wine of exceptional purity, balance, and future potential.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 100
Published: Nov 20, 2010

The nose on this seems more concentrated than the 2000, and the purity of fruit is stunning, with blueberries, raspberries, fresh flowers, and hints of licorice. This is perfect and complete. Full bodied, with notes of forest berries and wild raspberries, this is thick and velvety with perfectly polished tannins. You can really feel the density on this, more than the tannic structure. This is a sleeping beauty that will be utterly captivating when it awakes. Don't touch this until after 2015. 

The Wine Advocate | RP 98+
Published: Jun 29, 2015
Drink: 2020-2050

The first-growth 2005 Chateau Margaux (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot), a lavish fragrance of blackcurrants, velvety new saddle leather, spring flowers and spice soars from the glass. The wood is already totally concealed beneath the cascade of fruit in this medium to full-bodied, pure and majestic wine. This concentrated, dense, but nevertheless strikingly elegant, multi-layered wine has a finish of 45 seconds. It builds incrementally to a crescendo and finale. This is a stunner that can be approached already, but promises to be better in another 5-10 years and last at least 25 or more years. 

Decanter | D 98
Published: Jun 25, 2021
Drink: 2025-2050

In the line-up of the remaining four first growths at this tasting, this was one of the stars. It showed less of the expected floral notes and instead displayed a monumental character, suggesting that this wine will be good for decades to come. Graphite, black fruit and fantastic succulence on the palate combined with delicate florals on the nose. Great precision here, with a fine line of acidity, glossy tannins and impressive purity. When tasting this wine in 2009, I noted a very cool palate with great concentration and more than a hint of a classic Pauillac character. I loved it then, and love it now. After a colder than average winter, a hot sunny spring led to quick flowering in early June followed by excellent weather during July and August. The dry weather led to tiny, concentrated grapes with a much lower yield than in 2004.
Closure: Natural Cork
Alcohol: 13.00%
Body: Medium
Oak: Oaked
Grapes: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon 8% Merlot

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 19
Published: Aug 5, 2021
Drink: 2023-2045

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc. Following a cold winter, a hot sunny spring led to quick flowering in early June with hot and dry weather during July/August. This led to the development of small, concentrated grapes and a much lower yield than in the cool, damp 2004.
Margaux was undoubtedly one of the stars of the tasting, displaying massive, monumental structure suggesting this will be a wine to cellar for several decades to come. Lovely purity and concentration on the palate with black fruit surrounding a core of graphite. Although there were delicate floral notes this seemed more Pauillac than Margaux with a cool character on the palate, fine acidity and polished tannins. A very long future ahead. I scored this very highly in 2009 (18.5/20) and felt it was a standout here.

Chateau-margaux.com

2005 is a truly great, pure Château Margaux vintage! First of all, it has all of its class: that incomparable nose of finesse, grace and depth that belongs solely to its terroir and is only found in a few dream vintages. It also has its power: its concentration is exceptional, superior to 2000 and even 2003. It comes through first in the color, which has unprecedented intensity, and on the palate with extraordinary density and length. And yet its power does not have the last word; voluptuousness and harmony are also the hallmarks of this vintage. The Cabernet Sauvignon (85% of the blend) is of course largely responsible for this balance as it reached perfect ripeness without the degree of alcohol going over 13. The only Merlot which joined it (8% of the blend) is the only batch which didn't reach 14°. Built for eternity, we recommend waiting a few more years before opening the first bottles. (October 2018)