Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château La Tour de Bessan Margaux 2022 — Margaux, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A classic Left Bank blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon · 30% Merlot · 5% Petit Verdot (estate typically varies slightly by vintage) delivering structure, elegance, and aromatic finesse. Great frame and graphite tension coming from the Cab Sauv., mid-palate polish thanks to Merlot, and liked how Petit Verdot brings subtle spice and color depth. A beautifully traditional, unclassified Margaux that punches above its weight.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, blackberry, cassis, violet, pencil shavings, cedar, light tobacco, and crushed stone. Fruit stays fresh and pure with delicate floral lift typical of the appellation.

Mouthfeel
Medium-plus body with polished, fine-grained tannins. Dry, linear, and elegant rather than powerful. Balanced acidity keeps everything lifted and graceful with a clean, savory finish.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, grilled lamb chops, duck breast, mushroom risotto, lentils, Comté or aged goat cheese. A very food-friendly claret.

Verdict
Proof that Margaux elegance doesn’t require classified growth pricing. Refined, honest, and beautifully composed. Delicious now with air, but easily cellar-worthy for 6–10 years.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is my kind of “weekday Bordeaux”, structured yet graceful, polished without heaviness. The sort of bottle that quietly disappears over dinner because everything just clicks.

Did You Know?
La Tour de Bessan is run by Marie-Laure Lurton (of the Lurton family estates) and is known for crafting textbook, terroir-driven Margaux expressions that emphasize finesse over extraction. — 5 months ago

JKT

9.1

Yup a new one to me and it’s well proportioned and lively on palate with well aged ripe fruits and earthy. Tasty! — 7 months ago

Rufus King

9.5

Delicious Margaux Bordeaux blend, dark fruit and fine tannin, at the Hurricane, Kennebunkport — 8 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2018 vintage. Last tasted 8.26.22 (9.3) and 7.21.21 (9.3). Medium/medium-heavy body. Slightly less end palate lift than last two encounters and tasting like it is in that proverbial "state of confusion...er...transition." Would like to taste again and will give it 3-4 years before revisiting to do this justice. Pretty unified now without side projects and ancillary rabbit holes but something tells me this has another third act of mayhem and debauchery up its' sleeve. 07.09.25. — a year ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.4

Basic label. Smells like cherry coke and wood oil. Flavors are complex and chewy. Cherry cola in flavors. Licorice too. Age-d. — a year ago

Stuart Pollack

9.3

Lovely light Provençal Rosé. Light strawberry flavor with some vanilla. Perfect with light mild fish. . — 2 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.5

2010 vintage. A classic La Tour Blanche with roasted pineapple, nuts, beeswax and flowers. Rich and complex, with good balancing acidity and great length. — 5 months ago

Andy@andyberke.com

8.9

Solid. Some terroir — 5 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

These are recalled impressions, not contemporaneous notes, from two nights ago, when the family council of elders met for a steak/wine pairing event at my brother Angelo’s house.

Balanced and subtle, this developed nicely with air and was quite elegant. — 6 months ago

with Dan and Angelo

Conrad Green

9.2

Very packed and dense. Sweet edges. Violet and tart cherry. Pure and good but needs time — 8 months ago

with Paul and Ara

Peter van den Besselaar

9.3

Vintage 2016 | The colour has developed a Rembrandt old gold texture. Honeyed apricot in smell, perfectly balance, luscious. Paired with Foie Gras de canard. — a year ago

Mark S.

9.0

15 degree is better. Rich oak and sweet spices. Gentle acidity. 16 @1800, Xiaduo - RC, 250415 — a year ago

Ainsley

9.0

Well structured and balanced wine; great density and silky tannins. Blackberry, black cherry, cedar and clove meet on the palette. Great find! — 5 years ago

Thomas Hillskog

9.1

Peak maturity now better than 2 and 4 years ago. Still fruity but with more complexity an soft tannins. — 5 months ago

Nick Heer

9.0

White pepper, berries, just right tannins. — 5 months ago

David Dorn

8.9

Solid value here — 5 months ago

Ericsson

8.9

WEST3 London. Good wine. — 7 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.1

2022 vintage. One of the Castel family estates since 1973 ( before the estate was known as Domaine de Tartuguière). With 144 hectares of vines,this is the largest contiguous vineyard in the Médoc. Vanessa Trouy has been in charge since 2002. Dark red colour. Needs a bit of time to open up, give it 15 minutes to release attractive aromas of strawberries, flowers, nutmeg and oak. Good fruit concentration in the mouth, with a solid tannic structure,fresh acidity and nice length. This will need a few years to show all its potential, and has serious ageing potential. For now decanting is recommended, pair with a good steak. Another terrific Bordeaux value. — 9 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.3

1997 vintage. A nice surprise in a vintage that was not highly regarded. Today, the 1997 outshined the 2000 La Tour de Bessan. Wonderful tasting with Marie-Laure Lurton, who kindly opened older vintages of La Tour de Bessan and Villegeorge. Unfortunately the 1961 Villegeorge was corked but one could tell the structure of the wine,it should be great from a good bottle. — a year ago

Alanna coby

10

Light and lovely, very easy to drink! No oakiness at all. — 4 years ago