I am again back at you with one of most fluid passions, wines. Of course not just any wine but the Médoc! And not just Bordeaux as if you have read my blog should know it is a genetic name covering a very large area north south, east of the city of Bordeaux! I found me much older pictures of my visiting days from Florida that need to be in my blog, The Médoc is in the Gironde department 33 of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. There are three parts to it: Bas-Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Landes, and two terroirs, the famous Médoc vineyard along the estuary, and Landes du Médoc towards the ocean, Therefore, here is my take on the wines of Margaux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Margaux finds its peak towards the middle of the 19C with the consecration given by the classification of the wines of the Gironde. This ability to produce great wines is linked to methods of vinification and unique cultures, and to our temperate climate well appreciated by all. Other monuments to see here are the Saint Michel Church This church, located near the Château Margaux, is surrounded by the cemetery. It has also replaced the old castral chapel of Château Margaux. Dating from the end of the 18C and early 19C, the church was made up of a bell tower-porch, a main nave framed by two aisles and a flat bedside with sacristy. The choir keeps the vestiges of the old apse with this broken double -tired arch falling on Corinthian capitals. There is a beautiful set of wooden sculptures, donation of the Cruse family and from the chapel of the Château Rauzan-Ségla.
The official town of Margaux-Cantenac : https://www.margaux-cantenac.fr/
The official Margaux tourist office : https://www.margaux-tourisme.com/en/
The Château Cantenac Brown is a 1855 Classified Third Growth, Located in Cantenac within the most prestigious Médoc appellation, Margaux. The vineyard was founded over 200 years ago by a Scotsman, John Lewis Brown. This visionary figure selected the best plots of land ,and his hard work and high standards were rewarded in 1855 when the Bordeaux Classification Ranked Cantenac Brown among the most esteemed vineyards, His grandson a famous naturalist painter spent his childhood at the castle, and was inspired by these lands, which he depicted and shared with his friends Degas, Manet, Pissaro and Toulouse-Lautrec. As an incorrigible socialite, he made Cantenac Brown an artistic landmark, at the forefront of Impressionism. A spectacular testimony to its scottish ancestry: The estate’s emblematic Tudor-style castle makes It the most remaked property in the Médoc Region. It seals the estate with the Scottish stamp of Clan Brown and earned it its place in history for eternity. The Château Cantenac Brown offers Margaux style marked by the Cabernet Sauvignons of its spread exceptional terroirs, Over the prestigious Margaux and Cantenac plateous, which instil its with depth and a very strong ageing potential. The estate produces three wines. Château Cantenac Brown the soul of a great terroir, a radiant, full-bodied, velvety wine for keeping. It stands out by its fresh fruit flavours, its density and its very fine tannins. Its best vintages express freshness, an elegant bouquet of red and black fruits, with opulence and tension on the finish, and spicy undertones. The latest 2023 is assemble with 71.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc, The Brio de Cantenac Brown charming, delicate and brilliant, pleasurable wine for sharing. It can be enjoyed young, but will improve when kept for a few years. The latest 2021 is assemble with 60% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 11% Cabernet Franc, The Alto de Cantenac Brown, a suave and vibrant mineral wine with flinty and white fruit notes. The latest 2023 is assemble with 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Sémillon,
The official Château Cantenac Brown : https://www.cantenacbrown.com/en/
The Château Labegorce contiguous to Margaux and Lascombes properties, this property is cited in the edition of Édouard Féret of 1868 which since 1332 relates the existence “of the lands of the Maison de Noble de la Bégorce”. The castle is presented as “… one of the most beautiful and best located in the town of Margaux”. Since its acquisition in 1989, the Perrodo family has renovated this property all its architectural brilliance and a vitivinicole dynamism which gave birth to Labégorce a charming wine of a very beautiful structure, with a bright fruit and great finesse. The Perrodo family also acquired in 2006 the Marquis of Alesme property, the third Grand Cru Classé de Margaux, wishing, again, to hoist this vintage like the flagships of the appellation. The Château Labegorce has 70 has and used a blend of 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 45 % Merlot, 3 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot.
The official Château Labegorce : https://www.labegorce.com/
The Château Lascombes, is AOC Margaux, it is classified second Grand Cru in the official classification of Bordeaux wines in 1855. The land located on the highest hill of Margaux were possession of the Durfort de Duras house in the 14C, The domain passes In the hands of Jean-François and Anne de Lascombes, after separation from the Durfort domain, between 1700 and 1750 , He was an advisor to the Parliament of Bordeaux, King’s prosecutor at the Admiralty, member of the Bordeaux Academy in 1761. Around 1780, the construction of the castle began but in 1867, the estate was sold in Gustave Louis Chaix d’Est-Ange a lawyer of the Paris bar. It is to this owner that we owe the current castle around 1875, the work of the new castle of a neo-English style, In July 2011, the castle was bought by the Mutuelle d’assurances du corps de santé français (MACSF). Current grape varieties consists of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet-Sauvignon and 5% of Petit Verdot , The Grand Vin de Château Lascombes as well as the second wine, Le Chevalier de Lascombes, are raised in barrels for eighteen at twenty months. The compressed airfalls are carried out every three months. At the end of the breeding, traditional collage at the egg white before the Château Lascombes bottling;the wine has long guard, concentrated, powerful, typical of Margaux. The second wine, Chevalier de Lascombes, is more fruity, more flexible,
The official Château Lascombes : https://www.chateau-lascombes.com/
In 1697, Louise Escousses sold the property to Master Simon Malescot, adviser to King Louis XIV with the Parliament of Bordeaux. He will give his surname to the castle. On February 5, 1827, Count Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Exupéry acquired Château Malescot. Great-grandfather of the aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, he decides to enrich his name with the castle. A expensive lifestyle will lead the widow of Jean-Baptiste to sell his property at auction in 1853. It was in 1870 that Messrs Fourcade and Boissac will then give the great wine of Château Malescot worthy of its rank and cellars of farms, which will serve as a model for the other Medocan castles. However, they will have to resolve to sell in 1901. One period marked by the uncertainties of a succession of owners follows the stability of yesteryear. On June 1, 1955, Paul and Roger Zuger purchased from the domain who only had 7 hectares of vineyards. Today the property has 28 hectares in Margaux appellation. Three generations of Zuger follow one another to put off afloat and restore its reputation. It was therefore in 1994 that Jean-Luc took over from his father Roger. Today, Catherine and Jean-Luc Zuger are owners. Jean-Luc, manager, is doing everything to make the Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry one of the great vintages of the Margaux appellation. Château Malescot Saint Exupéry balance and depth are there. The tannins are silky. Slightly wooded and grilled notes tinted the wine after ventilation, revealing a farm still in the making but well mastered. A familiar wine. The Dame de Malescot a fresh, light nose, an elegant, subtle and balanced mouth.
The official Château Malescot Saint Exupery : https://www.malescot.com/
The official wines of Bordeaux on the Médoc : https://www.bordeaux.com/us/Our-Terroir
The Bordeaux tourist office on the vineyards: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/vineyards-wines
There are many properties visited over the years too numerous to mention, I purchase back in 2014 the Feret edition, Bordeaux and its Wines book , the essential historical analytical guide to the wines of the Médoc (Bordeaux) The official Feret Library: https://librairie.feret.com/
There you go folks, the wines of my belle France, and the very best from the Médoc that peninsula up from Bordeaux, sublime ! Again, hope you enjoy the post on the wines of Margaux !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 