The 2022 Château Margaux obliged reams of superlatives from barrel. Now in bottle, it is a stone-cold breathtaking First Growth that belongs on the mantelpiece alongside the 1959 and 1983. That said, at rst, the aromatics are bashful, yet it takes little to unfurl in jaw-dropping fashion, armed with heavenly pure black fruits laced with peony and iris ower and exuding mineralité (which is a mighty achievement given the season). The palate is imbued with stunning pixelation. There is a little more structure than I recall—an enthralling sense of architecture and thrilling tension, the pH of around 3.65 imparting acidic spine. Winemaker Philippe Bascaule remarked that he cannot compare the 2022 to another vintage. This is a profound Château Margaux that sets a contemporary benchmark.