Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Tour and Tasting at Château Margaux, Appellation Margaux, 1ière Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Picture: Château Margaux

Château Margaux is one of the oldest wine producing estates in the Bordeaux region and can trace back ist roots to the 12th century. It is one of the only 5 1ière grand cru classé châteaux. Vine planting started in the early 16hundreds and in 1582 the Margaux estate covered about 220 acres of vines, Today, almost 500 years later the estate has changed little in terms of size and layout. The highest price ever associated with a bottle of wine belongs to a bottle of Château Margaux, vintage 1787, which was insured at 225,000 $ and was opened at a tasting in 1987. Château Margaux can look back to many different owners over the past centuries, just like many other châteaux in Bordeaux.

In 1977 it was acquired by André Mentzelopoulos, a Greek native who arrived in France in 1958 and became a wealthy man by building up a supermarket chain. He renovated the château and invested heavily in the winery. He replanted vines, bought new oak barrels, reintroduced a second wine to enhance quality, and constructed a new underground cellar. He died very suddenly in 1980 and the estate has been managed very succesfully since then by his daughter Corinne.

Marie Guillad was our host.

Pictures:  Château Margaux

2016 Harvest of White Grapes

When we visited Château Margaux, the harvest of the white grapes was in full swing. Not well known, but Château Margaux also produces a white wine, in very limited quantities.

Pictures: Harvest of White Grapes at Château Margaux

History

The history of Château Margaux goes back to the 12th Century, when the property was known as La Mothe de Margaux and owned by various people of noble birth, including Edward III, King of England. It was when the Lestonnac family took charge that premium wine production gained steam. By the end of the 1600s, Château Margaux had expanded to 265 hectares, with 1/3 devoted to producing wine.  The impressive First Empire style château that we see today was built by one of Bordeaux' foremost architects, Guy-Louis Combes, when Marquis of La Colonilla acquired the estate in 1804.

Pictures:  Tour of Château Margaux, Appellation Margaux, 1ière Grand Cru Classé

In 1977, the property was sold to André Mentzelopoulos – the Greek of Medoc - and the modern history of Chateau Margaux began. Château Margaux passed to his daughter, Corrine Mentzelopoulos, only a few years later, when she was still at a young age.

Pictures: Château Margaux: In the Vineyard

Château Margaux under Corrine Mentzelopoulos

Under her late father's leadership, a new cellar was built, drainage added and a long-term investment strategy made to secure the property's future. Corinne Mentzelopoulos added a second underground cellar for second-year barrels. Today, the expansion continues. British architect Norman Foster was commissioned to redesign its cellars, create a new winemaking hall, as well as a subterranean bottle library of previous vintages. The project was completed last year.

Pictures: Entering the new Cellar of Château Margaux

Château Margaux

Château Margaux totals 262 hectares, with 87 hectares entitled to the Margaux appellation; 82 hectares are under vine. All four common red Bordeaux varieties are planted: Cabernets Sauvignon (75%), Cabernet Franc (3%), Merlot (20%) and Petit Verdot (2%), whereas the white vineyards are planted solely with Sauvignon Blanc.

Pictures:Château Margaux

The fruit is fermented in large 150-hectolitre oak vats and (since only very recently) stainless steel vessels. The red wines are aged between 18 and 24 months in oak barrels (constructed on-site in the Margaux cooperage), the whites up to six months.


There are typically 13,000 cases of the Grand Vin Château Margaux produced each year and 17,000 cases of the second wine, Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux. The Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux has a production of 3,000 cases and must be sold under the Bordeaux AOC as the cultivation of Sauvignon Blanc does not fall under the directives of the Margaux AOC.

Pictures: Château Margaux

Tasting

Pictures: Tasting

Wine Searcher Average Prices

Grand Vin in US$

2015 659
2014 388
2010 1026
2009 1058

2005 959

Pavillion in US$

2009 186

Postings on the Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France (Posted and Forthcoming):

Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France

Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy

Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics

Bordeaux - En Primeur, Negociants, Courtiers, the Quai de Chartons and the Place de Bordeaux – A Short Introduction

How Does the Negociant System in Bordeaux Work? Tour and Tasting at Millésima - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Dining and Wining on Boulevard Montparnasse in Paris: La Rotonde, Le Dôme and La Coupole, France – Pre-Bordeaux Wine Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Tour and Tasting from Barrel at Domaine de Chevalier, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Owner Adrien Bernard - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Dinner with a View: At Restaurant L’Estacade in Bordeaux City - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City - An Update

Schiller’s Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France - An Update

Saint Emilion Wines and their Classification, Bordeaux, France

Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France

The Wine Empire of the von Neipperg Family in France, Bulgaria and Germany

Tour and Tasting at Château Canon La Gaffelière, Appellation Saint-Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Wine Pairing Lunch at Château Beauséjour, Appellation Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, with Owner/ Winemaker Gérard Dupuis - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Figeac, Premier Grand Cru Classé B, in Saint-Émilion – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Beauregard, Appellation Pomerol – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour with Dany Rolland: Château Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Wine-pairing Lunch at Château Le Bon Pasteur, Pomerol, with Dany Rolland – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tasting were it all Started: At the "Garage" of Jean-Luc Thunevin, Owner and Winermaker of Château Valandraud, Premier Grand Cru Classé since 2012 - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Charcuterie and Fromage at Chez Pascal in Saint Emilion - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château de Fargues, Sauternes, with Prince Eudes d’Orléans - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Wine-pairing Lunch at the 1-star Michelin Restaurant Claude Darroze, with Marie-Hélène Lévêque, Owner of Châteaux Chantegrive - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Visit: Château de Chantegrive, Appellation Grave, with Owner Marie-Hélène Lévêque - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Visit and Tasting: Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France

Lunch at the Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte Restaurant La Grand’ Vigne (Chef: Nicolas Masse, 2 Stars Michelin) - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Visit of La Cité du Vin - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Lunch at Pinasse Café, Cap Ferret - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Visiting an Oyster Farm at Arcachon Bay, Bordeaux: Raphael Doerfler at Earl Ostrea Chanca - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

The 5 Premiers Grands Crus Chateaux en 1855 of Bordeaux, France

What is a Bordeaux Cru Bourgeois? France

Tour and Tasting at Château Palmer, Margaux, 3ième Grand Cru Classé - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Pichon-Longueville Baron in Pauillac - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Lunch at Château Pichon-Longueville-Baron with Chef à Domicile Bernadet Damien - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Lafon-Rochet with Owner Michel Tesseron – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

At the Invitation of Owner Michel Tesseron: Private Dinner at Château Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ième Grand Cru Classé – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Sociando Mallet, Appellation Haut-Médoc – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

How a Barrel is Made: Visit of the Cooperage Berger & Fils in Vertheuil – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Lunch were the Locals Eat: At Restaurant Le Peyrat in Saint-Estèphe – Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Cos d’Estournel, Appellation Saint-Estèphe, 2ième Grand Cru Classé, with Managing Director Aymeric de Gironde - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Léoville Poyferré, Saint-Julien, 2ième Grand Cru Classé, with Anne Cuvelier - Bordeaux Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016, France

Tour and Tasting at Château Margaux, Appellation Margaux, 1ière Grand Cru Classé

Tour and Tasting at Château Kirwan, Appellation Margaux, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, with Owner Nathalie Schyler

Picnic Lunch at Château Kirwan, Appellation Margaux, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, with Owner Nathalie Schyler

Tour and Wine Dinner at Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Daina Paulin    

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