10 things you should know about Chateau Margaux

Even Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was already an ardent admirer of Château Margaux wines, at the end of the 18th century. At that time he was still traveling as an ambassador to France.

And Chateau Margaux wines go way back: the wine merchant William Sokolin wanted to sell a bottle of Château Margaux 1787 from Jefferson's legacye during an exclusive dinner in New York in 1989. For an impressive 500,000 dollars. But the bottle broke that evening. How this could have happened is still unclear today.hat is certain, however, is that the insurance company stepped in and paid compensation of 225,000 dollars. That was enough to make the bottle of wine one of the most expensive in the world to this day.

But what actually makes this Grand Vin from Château Margaux so special? And where is the vineyard actually located? Let's delve a little into the dazzling world of Margaux.

1. Where is Château Margaux located?

Château Margaux is located on the left bank of the Gironde in the Bordeaux appellation of the same name. In the Bordeaux region of Médoc, to be precise. Due to Château Margaux's famous reputation, you might think that the appellation owes its name to the winery. But this is not true. In fact, the commune of Margaux, which has a population of just over 1,500, gave the appellation its name in both cases.

2. Has the estate always been a château?

Originally, Château Margaux was not a wine estate at all, but a normal agricultural business that was known in the region in the late 15th century under the name Lamothe. Over the centuries, various owners developed the estate into a kind of castle, which then threatened to fall into disrepair during the French Revolution. In 1802, the Marquis de Lacolonilla bought the estate and had the castle demolished. By 1816, the castle as we know it today had been built.

3 Who turned Château Margaux into a wine estate?

Time to introduce another name. Because long before the château was even built thanks to the Marquis de Lacolonilla, Pierre de Lestonnac bought the first plots of land between 1572 and 1582 and thus formed the original wine estate. When Monsieur de Fumel bought Château Margaux in 1750, further plots were added. He also had the plots planted with finer grape varieties - laying the foundations for the wines' worldwide fame.

Of course, we are only talking about a few hectares of vineyards in total. The actual growth to the current size of 93 hectares only came about when viticulture at Château Margaux was heavily commercialized by the Ginestet family in the 1960s.

4. What makes the vineyards of Château Margaux so special?

The vines of Château Margaux actually thrive on one of the best terroirs in the Médoc. The soil is particularly deep and consists of a four to eleven meter deep layer of pebbles from the Günz Ice Age. It is precisely because of these pebbles that the soil has an enormous water drainage capacity. And this in turn forces the vines to root particularly deep in order to access this water.

The soil also has a high lime content, which gives the wines their enormous elegance. Even if not all the plots are directly adjacent to each other, the entire vineyard area is located exclusively in the commune of Margaux.

5. What grape varieties does Château Margaux cultivate?

As befits the left bank of the Gironde, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety plays the main role at Château Margaux, accounting for 75 percent of the total area. Merlot follows a long way behind, supplemented by smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The white grape variety Sauvignon Blanc can also be found on 12 hectares.

6. Have the Margaux wines always been famous?

If Thomas Jefferson raved about Château Margaux in the 18th century, then the wines must have become more and more prestigious since then, right? Well, that's only partly true. It is true that even the French Revolution could not change the quality myth of Château Margaux. It was therefore more than deserved that the estate was awarded Premier Grand Cru Classé status in 1855 as part of the Bordeaux classification. It was only one of four châteaux in Bordeaux - and there are now five.

Even the increasingly rapid changes of ownership did nothing to change the quality, reputation and prosperity. At least until the 1950s. At that time, the Ginestet family bought Château Margaux. Unfortunately, the new owners had to deal with the economic recession of the 1970s and the disastrous unsaleable vintages of 1972, 1973 and 1974. This also had economic consequences for the Ginestets. In 1975, they therefore tried to sell the estate.

But it was not until two years later, in 1977, that the Greek entrepreneur André Mentzelopoulos rescued Château Margaux. As all premier châteaux were already national treasures at the time and could therefore only be owned by French people, Mentzelopoulos took French citizenship. He invested huge sums to restore the vineyards and cellars of Château Margaux. With success! With the 1978 vintage, Chateau Margaux made a major comeback in the world of the best wines.

Unfortunately, Mentzelopoulos was not able to enjoy this triumph for long. He died at the end of 1980.

7. What characterizes the Grand Vin?

Cuvées dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon haven't only the reputation of being able to mature for a very long time, but also being particularly powerful. Of course, this also applies to the Grand Vin from Château Margaux. However, the power here is kept in check by an extraordinarily refined elegance, which is due to the chalky soils. In addition, the fruity bouquet with its hints of cassis, wild berries and black cherry is in the foreground - without, however, suppressing the refined and silky structure.

Even in small vintages, the Grand Vin from Château Margaux impresses with its balance and charm. The wine also has phenomenal ageing potential.

8. What other wines does Château Margaux produce?

In addition to the Grand Vin, there is also the second wine Pavillon Rouge. Until 1908, the second growth was called Château Margaux 2ème vin before it was given its current name. However, production of Pavillon Rouge was discontinued in the 1930s. It was not until André Mentzelopoulos reintroduced the second wine in 1977. In principle, the vinification process is almost identical to that of the Grand Vin. The only difference is that only grapes from young vines and used barriques are used here. The Pavillon Rouge is available earlier than the Grand Vin. There is also a third wine, Margaux, which first came onto the market in 1997. In 2009, a conscious decision was made to reduce the quantity of Margaux, so that it is now generally only available in selected restaurants in France, Great Britain, Japan and the United States.

There is also a white wine from Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc. This single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc has been produced since the 19th century - and is now something of a rarity. Due to the winery's high quality standards, only 1/3 of the grapes harvested are used for the wine - the best of the vintage. The other grapes are also processed - and the wine is then sold in barrels to retailers or other producers. The aim is to achieve the best possible quality in the white range.

9. Who owns Château Margaux?

After the death of André Mentzelopoulos in 1980, his wife Laura and daughter Corinne continued to run Château Margaux alone for another ten years. However, in 1990, they sold all their shares to a Luxembourg company, which was largely owned by the Italian Agnelli family (Fiat). However, the previous management was not changed, so Laura and Corinne Mentzelopoulos continued to sit on the board.

In 2003, Corinne Mentzelopoulos then bought back 75 percent of the shares, which meant that Château Margaux was once again in family hands. In 2023, Corinne Mentzelopoulos retired and handed over the management of the company and the leadership of the supervisory board to her two children Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos and Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos.

When André Mentzelopoulos bought Château Margaux in 1977, he put 72 million francs on the table. He not only got the estate, but also the 1974, 1975 and 1976 vintages stored in the cellar. Unfortunately, it is not known how much Laura and Corinne Mentzelopoulos received when they sold the estate in 1990. However, Corinne Mentzelopoulos paid around 350 million euros to buy back the 75 percent in 2003. What an increase in value within 26 years! In fact, this sum makes Château Margaux one of the most expensive properties in France. Wow!

10. What are the best vintages of chateau Margaux?

That is of course in many ways a question of preference. But on average you have the following vintages as being outstanding or legendary:

Chateau Margaux - 1900, 1928, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1979, 1983, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2019.

Pavillon Rouge -1983, 1996, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018.

Pavillon Blanc - 1928, 1937, 1986, 1989, 1990, 2006, 2011, 2018.