Chateau Margaux Wines

Bordeaux Wine, Margaux

About Chateau Margaux Wine

Classification: First Growth

Second label: Pavillon Rouge de Chateau Margaux

Grape variety: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merkit, 5% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Average vine age at Chateau Margaux is 35 years.

History: Chateau Margaux was founded in the 1400's. Once the residence of Edward III, King of England, it was one of the most stately fortified chateaux in Guyenne. Over the centuries, the property changed ownership several times. In 1804, the Marquis of La Colonilla acquired the property, razed the old Gothic manor-house and built in its place the chateau which still stands today.

In 1977 the property was purchased by Laura and Andre Mentzelopoulos. Lavish amounts of money were immediately spent on the vineyards and the winemaking facilities. Emile Peynaud was retained as a consultant to oversee the vinification of the wine. Apprehensive observers expected it would take several vintages before all the improvements would show up in the wine. It took just one vintage, 1978, for the world to see just how great Chateau Margaux could be. Unfortunately, Andre Mentzelopoulos died before he could see the fruits of his labor. His wife Laura and daughter Corinne run the show now with the expertise of the winemaking team of director Paul Pontallier, cellar master Jean Grangerou and consulting oenologist Emile Peynaud.

Vinification and aging: Time honored techniques still prevail here. Harvesting of the grapes are always done by hand so as to discard grapes that are overripe or unripe. The wine is fermented in oak vats. Once the assemblage has been performed , the wine is placed in new oak barrells from the Troncais Forest for two years. These barrels are always new and most are handcrafted by the estate's cooper. Racked several times and clarified with six egg whites per barrel after one year.

Style: Chateau Margaux makes wine that is opulent and rich. A multidimensional bouquet with a fragrance of ripe black currants, spicy vanilla oakiness and violets.

1929 Chateau Margaux

That legend of vintages that will always be remembered as the year of the century. Its reputation was made all the more glorious by the fact that immediately after, the 1930s were really catastrophic, and then war broke out... It was not until 1945 that anything comparable in quality was produced. It was only a space of sixteen years, but everyone had the genuine impression that it had been a century... Château Margaux 1929 is indeed a marvellous wine, whose bottles have unfortunately become inconsistent. We had the opportunity, a few years ago, to open a few at the same time. Around one out of three was in decline, another was fine, but a bit tired, and the last one... just marvellous ! An incomparable, indescribable finesse; a silky, long, delicate feeling on the palate... Sheer happiness...

1982 Chateau Margaux

This vintage heralded a new era of perhaps unprecendented prosperity for Bordeaux, thanks to a run of extraordinary vintages and the opening up of international makerts. The 1982 vintage can be considered as the first representative of a new generation of wines which are enjoyable to drink in their youth but which lose none of their ability to age a long time.

1961 Chateau Margaux

It has sometimes been said that 1961 was the greatest vintage since 1900. Our memory does not always serve us well, but there is no doubt that this vintage displays quite extraordinary qualities, which we were not to find again, in any case, until the 1982 vintage.

2003 Chateau Margaux

"Rated 100 - In an appellation that was not nearly as homogeneous in quality as Pauillac and St.-Estephe, manager Paul Pontallier has produced a prodigious 2003 Chateau Margaux that, qualitatively, towers over all the other Margaux estates.