Château Margaux: A Deep Dive
Château Margaux is one of five wines classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé in the 1855 ranking of Bordeaux. Its neo-Palladian château, built 1810-1815, is the most photographed wine building in the world. Behind the symmetry lie 87 hectares of Garonne gravels and a winemaking lineage that runs back to the 17th century.
The estate
The Mentzelopoulos family acquired Margaux in 1977 and brought it back from a low point. Corinne Mentzelopoulos remains the proprietor; her director Philippe Bascaules and consulting oenologist Eric Boissenot run the day-to-day. The vineyard is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, with the balance Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and a tiny amount of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for the white.
The terroir
The estate sits on the deepest gravel beds in the Médoc — Garonne gravels left by ancient river courses, with limestone and clay underneath. These deep, well-drained gravels are what give Margaux its perfumed, ethereal character; the same vineyards in heavier soils would make sturdier, less aromatic wines.
The grand vin
The grand vin is famously perfumed and silky-textured — sometimes called the Lafite to Latour's Mouton. Vintages such as 1900, 1928, 1953, 1961, 1982, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2009, 2015, and 2016 are benchmarks. The estate has a reputation for making one of the most graceful Bordeaux even in difficult years.
The second wine: Pavillon Rouge
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux has been released since 1908, making it the oldest declared second wine in Bordeaux. It uses parcels deemed not quite worthy of the grand vin and offers a genuine taste of estate character at a fraction of the price.
The white: Pavillon Blanc
Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux is one of the rare white wines produced on a Médoc classed-growth property. 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged in oak, with a reputation for unusual longevity for white Bordeaux.
The Norman Foster cellar
In 2015 the estate completed a new cellar designed by Lord Norman Foster — a contemporary glass-and-steel addition that doubled the estate's working space without altering the historic château. It hosts the new vinification cellar and a research laboratory.
Visiting
Visits to Château Margaux are extremely restricted, by appointment only, and primarily for the trade. The neo-Palladian château can be seen from the public road south of the village of Margaux, and the nearby Cantenac village has tasting rooms that carry the grand vin at the appropriate price.
Explore on the map
Find Château Margaux on the interactive map. Filter to Bordeaux and zoom to the Margaux appellation; the D2 road through the village passes the gates of half a dozen other classed growths.