A Margaux Wine Renaissance: Change of Generations Yields Gains in Quality and Consistency. A Dozen Producers’ Showcase. (8-Bottle Pack $395)

Nowhere has consistency been more sought after than in the Médoc—this despite the vagaries of climate, the uncertain wine market and as seen in Margaux especially over the past twenty years, the importance of the human touch.

Americans used to the innovation and iconoclastic spirit of native winemakers will sometimes struggle to comprehend the French wine system, one rooted in heritage, where AOP laws are sacrosanct. Interestingly, one area in which tradition among French growers and winemakers may have leapfrogged a generation is in the application of artificial treatments and mechanical harvesting. More and more vineyards are today opting for biodynamics in the field and natural fermentation in the cellar, with almost 90% of Bordeaux properties eschewing chemicals and many returning to handpicking grapes, techniques that were used for centuries before commercial fertilizer and mechanical harvesters were available.

In Margaux, makers of the supple, perfumed Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines have adhered to tradition as faithfully as in any appellation, and perhaps, too much, as a modern understanding of the complexity of Margaux-specific terroir evolves. Says Jean-Henri Schÿler, former president of the Syndicat of Margaux: “The vineyards here have thick bands of clay beneath some parts of gravelly soil, and these can block the descent of roots. Tractors often cut the roots, which lie near the surface, compounding the problem. And the clay can encourage the formation of underground pools of water. Proper drainage can solve the problem but it’s a major investment.”

In part with assistance from the Syndicat, changes are happening at a faster pace, and a new guard of winemaker is losing some of the baggage left them by their forebears, creating a Margaux renaissance that is well worth exploring.

Margaux has up praise from aficionados as diverse as Suzi Quatro (“I’m a bit of a wine snob and like a glass of Château Margaux ’82 to unwind”) and Ernest Hemingway (“I drank a bottle of wine for company, Château Margaux. It was good company” – ‘The Sun Also Rises’), while Thomas Jefferson waxed philosophically about vintage 1784. In part that is because Château Margaux is the most user-friendly of the five classified Premier cru Classé wines: André Lurton, who grew up in a Margaux wine family in the 1930s, sums it up like this: “Wines here were never about extract or power. They were all about finesse. That’s what we looked for and admired in a wine.”

Château Malescot St. Exupéry, Margaux 2018 ($84)
Intensity, richness, velvet textures and purity of fruit are in forefront of the wine, followed by a luscious middle palate with layers of ripe, sweet, dark red fruits, licorice, espresso, plums and cherries. About 9000 cases produced.

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Château Marquis d’Alesme

After a storied past similar to many great estates in Bordeaux, the modern era for Château Marquis d’Alesme began in 2006 when it was purchased by Hubert Perrodo, owner of another Margaux vineyard, Château Labégorce. Tragically, he was killed in a skiing accident shortly after the sale and it is currently owned and managed by his daughter, Nathalie Perrodo. Extensive renovations to the château, which were completed in 2015, show a fascinating blend of French and Asian influences—an homage to Nathalie, who is half French and half Chinese. Above the fermentation vats, for example, a large, bronze dragon hangs, resplendent with patterns that take into account water, earth and heaven impressed into the cement.

The 40-acre d’Alesme vineyard is divided into three unique terroirs. The section with silica and gravel soils is planted to 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. A second parcel located next to the château that consists of silica and gravel soil and some clay is planted to 100% Merlot, while the third section is mostly young vines, which is the source for their second wine, Marquise d’Alesme.

Château Marquis d’Alesme, Margaux 2018 ($68)
A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc, the wine is voluptuous and concentrated, showing a floral essence behind smoke, earth, bramble fruits and espresso. Promises a long future with at least 2-3 decades of positive evolution anticipated. Around 7000 cases produced.

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Château Ferrière

This Troisième Cru, formerly known as the smallest classified growth at fewer than 20 acres, now boasts 30 planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, with vines averaging a half century old. Still relatively obscure, some of Ferrière’s vineyard is owned by the property, while other parcels are under long-term rental agreements, with the best parcels in the commune of Cantenac, with deep Garonne gravel deposited on limestone marls.

Ferrière’s winemaker Eric Boissenot explains the driving philosophy of his art: “First of all, I strive to understand the earth. It takes a minimum of two years to understand a new terroir and to capture its expression—its faults and qualities—and to learn to handle it delicately. Here, I like to stress finesse rather than power by concentrating on the quality of the tannins. Sometimes faults may be accentuated by having too low a yield, but balanced vines are more important.”

Château Ferrière, Margaux 2018 ($59)
The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and the high percent of Cabernet Sauvignon comes through in the wine’s flavor profile, structural feel and ample tannins with blackberry and graphite aromas and flavors.

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Château Labégorce

The first written mention of Labégorce’s vineyards can be found in the oddly named Cocks and Feret guidebook in 1868, dating the winemaking property to 1332. Bordering Châteaux Margaux and Lascombes, the Labégorce estate was purchased by the late Hubert Perrodo in 1989 and is today owned by his daughter Nathalie as part of the family’s portfolio, which also includes Château Marquis d’Alesme and Château Tour de Mons.

Under Perrodo ownership, the percentage of Merlot planted in the 160 acres of vineyard has increased to 45%, since much of the property has clay-rich soils.  The vines are, on average, 30 years old, but there are a few parcels planted in the 1950s, and at least one plot that has reached the century mark.

Château Labégorce, Margaux 2018 ($47)
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the wine shows nuances of tilled earth, allspice, cedar, mocha, and fresh violets intermingled with integrated baking spice notes. 12,000 cases made.

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Château Brane Cantenac

One of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, the estate had been producing one of the Médoc’s most highly regarded wines long before that. For four consecutive generations, the Lurton family has been at the helm, with Henri Lurton as the current proprietor. He says, “The exceptional terroir of Château Brane-Cantenac is made of deep quaternary-era gravels. Each plot has been carefully studied to plant the most suitable grape-variety, the one which will express itself the best on it. Along with my team we strive to reveal each plot’s potential by working in a plot by plot and intra-plot approach: The ‘Burgundy way.’

Brane-Cantenac’s terroir can be subdivided into several parcels; the first and most valued is planted in a large sweep of gravel in front of the château at the top of the Margaux-Cantenac plateau, providing radiant heat to the vines as well as excellent drainage. The second section is situated behind the château, where the gravel is intermixed with sand. La Verdotte is a 25-acre vineyard planted 35 years ago with 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, and 0.5% Carmenère. A fourth vineyard called Notton is a 32-acre plot of coarse gravel over clay, and more distant from Brane-Cantenac than the other vines.

Château Brane Cantenac ‘Margaux de Brane’, Margaux 2018 ($42)
The château’s third label is still quintessential Margaux based on 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged in 70% new French oak. Beautiful cassis and mulberry fruits as well as notes of leafy tobacco, spice, cedar meld with the finely-grained tannins.

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Château d’Issan

The roots of Château d’Issan’s vines delve deeply into Margaux’s gravel, but not as deeply as the roots of the estate delve into history. One of the oldest producing châteaux in Bordeaux, wines from d’Issan vineyards were used to toast the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry the Second. Oddly perhaps, although Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant varietal today, when d’Issan was classified as a Third Growth in 1855, the wine was produced entirely from a grape that is now all but extinct in Bordeaux: Tarney Coulant.

In 2013, Château d’Issan sold a 50% stake to Jacky Lorenzetti of Château Lilian Ladouys, Château Lafon in St. Estèphe and Château Pédesclaux in Pauillac. Along with Emmanuel Cruse, the winemaking has been upgraded to include sorting tables and a new pneumatic press along with an increase of the proportion of new French oak barrels used to age the wine; currently an average of 50%.

Château d’Issan ‘Blason d’Issan’, Margaux 2018 ($38)
D’Issan’s second wine, introduced in 1995, and made from the estate’s youngest vines. It is fruity and accessible, offering a bouquet of blackberry and cranberry laced with undergrowth, mint, lavender and tobacco leading to full, fruity mid-palate and a mineral-driven finish.

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Château La Tour de Bessan

One of several properties run by the Lurton family, La Tour de la Bessan is currently run by Marie-Laure Lurton and the consulting oenologist Jacques Boissenot. Spread over three communes (Soussans, Arsac, Cantenac), the blocks that make up the winery are made up of Pyrenean gravel with various amounts of clay in each zone. The 40-acre property is planted to a much higher proportion (62%) of Merlot than is typical in Margaux, with 23% Cabernet and a small amount of Petit Verdot.

Château La Tour de Bessan, Margaux 2018 ($35)
60% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot showing crushed blackberries and elderberries with dark-chocolate undertones on the nose, a savory and fleshy texture on the palate, with firm tannins, minerality and floral notes at the finish.

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Château Fourcas Dupré

Château Fourcas Dupré combines the name of the locale (the Fourcas plateau) with that of the original owner, Maître Jean Antoine Dupré, who bought the land in 1843. It has changed hands a few times since then, most recently ending up in the possession of Breton entrepreneur and wine aficionado Gérard Jicquel. The soils are primarily Pyrenean gravel, unique to the Médoc, along with chalky clay-limestone subsoil.

Château Fourcas Dupré, Listrac-Médoc 2018 ($22)
Ripe currants and blackberry appear in the perfumed aromatics, leading to the ‘sous bois’ (forest floor) character that is typical of the appellation with clove and pepper lingering amid the grainy tannins.

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AND – The following four wines are offered at special prices:

Château Rauzan-Ségla, Margaux 2018 ($179)
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged for 18 months in 65% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple color, with potent energy showing crushed black cherries, blackcurrant cordial and mulberries, plus suggestions of violets, star anise, chocolate mint and a touch of tobacco leaf, finishing with fantastic length and loads of earthy sparks.

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Château Margaux, Margaux 2018 ($935)
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, representing 36% of the 2018 harvest. The incomparable grace and depth of this lauded First Growth is displayed in layer upon layer of concentrated blueberry, cassis, acacia flowers, scorched earth, sandalwood, and violet backed by warm earth and fresh acidity.

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Château Brane Cantenac, Margaux 2018 ($106)
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all aged in 70% new French oak. Vibrant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and warm cassis, plus suggestions of roses, forest floor and cinnamon stick finish with a waft of cedar chest.

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Château Palmer, Margaux 2018 ($476)
2018 Palmer is composed of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot; it oozes fruit with waves of cassis, plum reduction and warmed cherry preserves carried by a dense yet polished and seamlessly embedded structure. A backdrop of violet, lilac and pastis accents add to the purity of expression with a riveting iron spine that lasts through the finish.

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Posted on 2022.03.25 in Margaux, France, Bordeaux, Wine-Aid Packages