Margaux

Pronounced "Mar-Go" this appellation is all about Cabernet Sauvignon based red wines, that are elegant and perfumed, with silky tannins and meant to improve in your cellar.

They don't have the power of the more northern communes, such as Pauillac, but these wines have finesse and elegance like no other.

Margaux Wines

Margaux is known for Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines with finesse, perfumed aromas of cassis, floral notes, along with tobacco and earthiness. Margaux wines are considered by many to be very elegant and aromatic, with silky smooth tannins and are more approachable in their youth than some other regions (this means you don't always have to wait as long to fully enjoy them!)

There are also some dry white wines made in Margaux from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. However, they cannot be labelled as Margaux because the appellation only allows for red wines to use that label. They are instead labelled as Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieure.

Margaux Wineries to Know

Château Margaux - a First Growth with an iconic building and one of the wines named as a "First Growth" in 1787 by Thomas Jefferson.

Château Rauzan-Ségla - a Second Growth, however considered by many to produce wines of First Growth quality. It's considered a "Super Second"

Château Palmer - a Third Growth, but considered by many to also be part of the "Super Second" club due to its consistently high quality.

Margaux Terroir

As Margaux is the biggest commune appellation in the Médoc, you'll see variation in the terroir throughout the area. There are sites that are covered in Garonne Gravels, which can give power and structure to the wine, but there's also silt, clay, and limestone, which in some cases can make for more perfumed Cabernets.

Generally Margaux wines are known as the most elegant, delicate, and perfumed of the 4 communes in the Médoc.

Margaux Facts and Classification Information

• 3780 acres (1530 ha) in size
• Planted Grapes are: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Others include Malbec and Carménère
• Margaux AOC was established in 1954
• Gravel over silt on limestone bedrock are the major soils - diversity of soils compared to other communes in the Médoc.
• 64 Wineries
• Has 31 Grands Crus Classés - the highest of any of the communes!
  • 1 First Growth - Château Margaux
  • 5 Second Growths
  • 10 Third Growths
  • 3 Fourth Growths
  • 2 Fifth Growths
• Margaux has over one third of all the Classed Growths in the Médoc

SOURCES

♦ Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition

♦ Jacques Fanet, Great Wine Terroirs

♦ Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, the Châteaux, their wines and terroir, 2020