Laying down our wines is not an obligation, nor should they be kept for the sole purpose of ageing them. Laying them down is the means of improving them. Château Margaux, along with a number of other great growths in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and perhaps elsewhere, has an extraordinary capacity to develop over time a range of flavours that to our cultural taste are more remarkable and above all more pleasant than those in young wines. Firstly, finesse and aromatic complexity, what we call the bouquet in old wines, has nothing to do with the fading away of the aromas a wine once had in its youth -in any case not for the greatest wines. It is in fact a whole new world of aromas that come through after fifteen or twenty years; there is more depth, complexity, delicacy and mystery. Next there is the impression on the palate; young wines often have an immediate impact, especially through their richness and power, but also through their firmness, sometimes hardness and astringency. Bottle ageing softens this slightly raw power without detracting from it. The wines gain in softness and smoothness without losing their freshness or length. Of course, only the great vintages can develop so beautifully after many years.

But that beauty is well worth waiting all those years for ! So how long should our wines be laid down for ? To tell the truth, the only rule is, if they bring you enjoyment, then drink them.

Yes, we know from experience that certain vintages with time can become supremely refined, elegant and complex. But this taste corresponds to a cultural taste which we wish to share, not impose. The majority of Château Margaux wines are in fact already delicious to drink when they are very young, for different reasons : the sheer purity of their fruit, their full, powerful yet always balanced palate. Why deprive ourselves of such pleasure ? Maybe the optimal time for drinking them is simply when you feel like it most.