The 1997 Chateau Margaux shines as the best of the First Growths from a difficult year. Its vibrant aromas of mint, blackberries, violets, and blueberries are complemented by a rounded palate of black fruits, cassis, tobacco, and a touch of Asian spice. While lacking the depth of some other years, this wine offers exceptional elegance, purity, and balance, making it a superb success for the vintage. Already showing great harmony, it’s ready to enjoy but will hold its charm through 2025.

The Wine Advocate | RP 95
Published: Jul 31, 2008
Drink: 2008-2025

The best of the First Growth ‘97s. A limpid, garnet/ruby core with ruby rim. The nose is exquisite with great delineation and purity with much more vigour that the other Firsts. Mint, blackberries, violets and blueberries all leap from the glass, oblivious to the fact that they stem from a poor vintage. The palate has a slightly voluptuous feel to it, rounded black fruits, raspberry, cassis, tobacco, graphite and a touch of Asian spice towads the finish. Sheer class. A superb success for Paul Pontallier in a difficult vintage. Drink now-2025. Tasted September 2006. 

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 17
Published: Oct 23, 2007
Drink: 2005-2012

Dark crimson right out to the rim. Very Margaux attack (aromatic) with good intensity to begin with but this wine went nowhere in the glass. Fragrant and pretty to begin with it was relatively light on the palate and the fruit seemed to recede in the glass. Difficult to imagine this getting much better and more complex.

Chateau-margaux.com

The generally adverse weather conditions during the month of August prevented the grapes from acquiring the concentration achieved in great vintages. However, the exceptional weather in September and during the harvest helped to produce an excellent level of ripeness.

The Château Margaux 1997 is remarkable for its great elegance and aromatic finesse, which are worthy of the great vintages, and also for its harmony and balance on the palate where the tannins are well integrated and almost smooth already. All that is missing in fact is a little density and depth in order to be a true great vintage.
This wine is already so enjoyable, it can be drunk now, but there is no rush, quite the contrary. This is a real success in a vintage often considered complicated. ( October 2018)