Château Margaux

What it is

Château Margaux (French pronunciation: [ʃato maʁɡo] ), archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine located in Margaux-Cantenac, France, and was one of five wines to achieve Premier cru (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expensive, with a bottle of Château Margaux grand vin reaching over $1,000. The estate is located in the commune of Margaux on the left bank of the Garonne estuary in the Médoc region, in the département of Gironde, and the wine is delimited to the AOC of Margaux. The estate also produces a second wine named Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, a third wine named Margaux de Château Margaux, a dry white wine named Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux which does not conform to the Margaux appellation directives, as well as a second dry white wine named Pavillon Blanc Second Vin, launched in 2024.

Key facts

What it is

château, winery source

Owned by

Frédéric Pillet-Will, Alejandro María Aguado, 1st Marquis of the Guadalquivir Marshes, Corinne Mentzelopoulos source

Country

France source

Located in

Margaux, Margaux-Cantenac source

Architect

Louis Combes source

In the maker's own words

Situé dans le Médoc, Château Margaux est une propriété viticole au terroir unique. Appartenant à la famille Mentzelopoulos depuis 1977, ce Premier Grand Cru Classé est synonyme d’excellence partout dans le monde.

Origin and history

The estate has been occupied since at least the 12th century, with the site occupied by a fortified castle known as Lamothe or La Mothe (from motte, a small rise in the land), and wine under names such as "Margou" and "Margous" was known in the 15th century, but it was with the arrival of the Lestonnac family in the 16th century that wine production became of particular importance, and in the 1570s Pierre de Lestonnac expanded the property and cleared many of the grain fields to make way for vines. The lineage of ownership was to continue in a relatively direct path from the Lestonnacs, though through the female side, with proprietors' names such as d'Aulède, Fumel, d'Hargicourt, including an alliance of marriage with the Pontac family of Château Haut-Brion in 1654, which became crucial to the inclusion of Château Margaux among the four first growths. By the beginning of the 18th century, the estate comprised 265 hectares (650 acres) with a third devoted to viticulture, which is nearly identical to the modern layout. Following the Bordeaux economic crisis of 1973, the Ginestet family were forced to sell Château Margaux. An attempt by National Distillers & Chemical Corporation to acquire Château Margaux was vetoed by the French government on grounds that the estate was a national treasure. This was later reported to be an attempt backed by The Coca-Cola Company, and was directly prevented by French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

How it is made

The domaine of Château Margaux extends 262 hectares (650 acres), of which 87 hectares (210 acres) are entitled to the Margaux AOC declaration. 80 hectares (200 acres) are planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, with 2% Cabernet Franc and Petit verdot. 12 hectares (30 acres) are cultivated with Sauvignon blanc to make the dry white Pavillon Blanc.