Château du Tertre 1996 is the Grand Vin of a long-established Margaux estate, ranked as a Cinquième Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 Médoc classification. The property sits in Arsac in the Margaux appellation and farms roughly 52 hectares on one of the area’s higher gravelly rises—terrain that is typically valued in the Médoc for drainage and consistent ripening. While this bottle predates the estate’s much-noted revival under new ownership (the Albada Jelgersma family acquired the château in 1997), it still represents the classic du Tertre framework: a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Margaux blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot as supporting varieties.

The château describes its style in terms of Margaux polish rather than sheer mass, noting that Cabernet Sauvignon “provides freshness and silky, enveloping tannins that give the wine longevity,” while Merlot contributes “supple fruit” (Château du Tertre). That general approach aligns with the estate’s reputation for aromatic finesse and structure, with the expectation that the wine’s backbone comes from Cabernet and its tannin profile, rather than overt ripeness.

On élevage, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux reports the estate’s typical maturation as about “15–17 months in French oak barrels (≈60% new oak)” (UGCB). In practice, that kind of barrel program is designed to frame the fruit and build texture without turning the wine into an oak showcase—particularly important in Margaux, where perfume and proportion are central to the appellation’s identity.

Technical details specific to this vintage are limited in the material provided, but one retail listing places the alcohol around “12.5% ABV” (305wines.com), consistent with mid-1990s Bordeaux norms. No professional critic tasting notes or scores for the 1996 were supplied here, so this summary should be read as an estate-and-appellation-grounded overview rather than a report of current bottle condition or a roundup of top reviews.