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Château Margaux


A brief history

It’s difficult to summarise in a few lines, the long and passionate history of the estate, it could be entitled “Once upon a time Château Margaux”.

Known since the XII century, it was called “La Mothe de Margaux” (the Margaux mound) and, at that time, it didn’t have any vines. The old name didn’t happen by chance; in a flat region like the Médoc, the slightest “mound” was easily distinguished and the greatest wines are always produced on sloping land that ensures good drainage.

In 1152, Aquitaine fell to the advance of England until 1453 and so Bordeaux wines benefited from this new market. Bordeaux “claret” was adopted as a table wine by Richard the Lion Heart, King of England in the XII century.

The successive owners of “La Mothe de Margaux” were, of course, important lords but we had to wait for the arrival of the Lestonnac family to set up the estate as we know it today. Pierre de Lestonnac succeeded, in the ten years from 1572 to 1582, in completely restructuring the property as well as the vineyard and anticipated the general evolution of the Médoc that had started to abandon cereal growing in favour of vines.

At the end of the XVII century, Château Margaux occupied 265 hectares, land that wouldn’t be divided again. A third of the estate was dedicated to vines, which is still the case today.

England and Holland drank “claret”, a pale wine that didn’t age well. Château Margaux became the epitome for the art of wine-making and the hierarchy between the different Bordeaux growths was already being drawn up.

Château Margaux was born.
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Chateau Margaux
France, Gironde
33460

www.chateau-margaux.com

+33557888383

Château Margaux Wines

Featured Wines

Château Margaux Margaux du Château Margaux Bottle Preview
Château MargauxMargaux du Château Margaux

The pursuit of excellence has always led Château Margaux to produce a second wine, which took the name of Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux in 1908. Our demands have never ceased to strengthen and led to the creation of a third batch of wine as from 1997. Over the years, the selection has become more and more rigorous, thus improving the quality of Pavillon Rouge and consequently, that of the third wine. The exceptional quality of the 2009 vintage and our wish to take advantage of it, have enabled us to produce a third wine of a standard never previously attained. It seemed a pity to us to sell it in bulk as we had done until then… We aged it in barrels with the same care as Pavillon Rouge and bottled it after fifteen months, thus giving birth to the first vintage of Margaux du Château Margaux. Of course, the production of this wine being limited, Margaux du Château Margaux will only be available at first in a small selection of restaurants within Château Margaux’s traditional markets : in France and the United Kingdom since September 2013 and will become available in Japan and the United States between now and the beginning of 2014.

Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux Bottle Preview
Château MargauxPavillon Rouge du Château Margaux

The production of a second wine probably goes back to the beginning of the XVII century because it is inseparable from the search for excellence which started at that time. Sold under the name of “Château Margaux 2nd wine”, it took its permanent name of Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux in 1908. After an eclipse between the thirties and the mid-seventies, its production restarted on the arrival of André Mentzelopoulos in 1977 and at first greatly increased in order to improve the quality of the first wine. From the mid – 1990s, the creation of a third wine in its turn, allowed for a more and more rigorous selection for Pavillon Rouge. For a few years now, a third of the harvest has gone into the first wine, barely 30% into the Pavillon Rouge, and the remainder is divided between the third and fourth wines. The quality of Pavillon Rouge has become very close to that of the first wine because all the plots involved contributed to the blending of Château Margaux not so long ago. Of course there isn’t the same complexity, the same depth, the same “magic” but the flavours are close and the balance in the mouth leads to the same subtle senses of power and softness. In general it is ready to drink a little earlier whilst retaining an excellent potential to age largely beyond 30 or 40 years.

Château Margaux Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux Bottle Preview
Château MargauxPavillon Blanc du Château Margaux

White wine production at Château Margaux goes back to the end of the XVII century. The cellar master at that time recounts how he was one of the first to separate the white grapes from the red during the vinification. Sold in the XIX century under the name « Château Margaux vin de sauvignon », it has existed under the brand name « Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux » since 1920 and its label has not changed since that date. The eleven-hectare vineyard is composed only of Sauvignon Blanc. It is situated on a very old plot of the Estate that had long since been planted with red vines and then been dug up because of the high risk of spring frosts. Production techniques, as well as the selection have been completely reviewed since the years 2009/2010 in order to reach a higher level of excellence; only 1/3 of the harvest is bottled, the remaining 2/3 is sold loose. So the quantity of Pavillon Blanc has been greatly reduced and isn’t more than one thousand cases. Today it benefits from the new wine cellar’s ultra-modern installations designed by Norman Foster. The finesse, complexity, richness and the length in the mouth of Pavillon Blanc are incomparable for a wine produced from 100% Sauvignon. The very latest vintages, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 in particular, have opened up new horizons in quality, ageing capacity and style which has become more mineral and much more complex. A significant part of the harvest is bottled in magnums which create optimum ageing conditions.