We continue our Wine in 5 series with arguably one of the best Bordeaux appellations, Margaux!
Julien tells us about his old stomping grounds… From what it was like to work at Château Margaux… To the wines you absolutely have to try… And how it stacks up on our regional leaderboard…
Transcript:
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Hello and welcome to your new Bonner Private Wines video, where we learn together everything that you need to know about wine, weekly. I’m your host, Julien, Bordeaux trained wine maker. And today we’re continuing our Wine In 5 series. Five things that you need to know about all the top wine appellations around the world in about five minutes or so, maybe a little bit more.
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In previous episodes, we looked at Pauillac also in Bordeaux, we looked at the prestigious super famous Spanish Rioja and Italian Barolo. Today I want to share with you my expertise about another one of the best Bordeaux wine appellations, Margaux, that is so dear to my heart in fact, since I worked at Chateau Margaux myself and even Chateaux Giscours and Chateau du Tertre a bit later on in my career. Don’t forget that at the end of the video, we’ll rate Margaux on our World Wine Appellations leaderboard to see how it ranks in the world of wine and reveal the most expensive wines that you should probably taste before you die.
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So stay tuned. While they whine we wine. Let’s go.
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The Margaux appellation, nestled within the prestigious Bordeaux region of France, has long been reserved for producing some of the world’s most celebrated wines of course. Renowned for its elegance, in particular, complexity and longevity too. Geographically, Margaux is situated on the left bank of the Gironde estuary of the left bank of Bordeaux, sharing borders with the equally renowned Medoc appellation of Saint Stef, Poljak and Saint Julian.
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They’re all in Medoc. The region’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde River significantly influences the climate, providing a maritime influence that moderates the temperatures. It’s warmer in winter and colder in summer, and it allows to provide a long ripening season, adding to the finesse.
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The dominant grape variety in Margaux is Cabernet Sauvignon. It brings structure, of course, those delicious tannins and an aromatic complexity. Merlot, while often blended in smaller proportion with Cabernet Sauvignon, can add softness and fruitiness and is also early maturity in cooler vintages. Because Merlot ripens before Cabernet, other grape varieties such as cab franc and Petite Verdot are often used as well in much smaller quantities, this time to contribute some specific characteristics to the fine and blend.
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Petit Verdot, for example, is really tannic and punchy.
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While the wines are typically characterized by their elegance, I said that before, the finesse, if you wish, and aromatic complexity layering softer and finer than Pauillac or Saint-Estephe. You can watch about those appellations in those video, the videos, that I made here earlier, Margaux often exhibits a harmony of fruit, some good acidity and tannins, with flavors that range from blackcurrant and cassis to cedar, tobacco and spice really focused on Cabernet Sauvignon, the wines are known for their ability to age beautifully, gracefully developing great complexity and depth over time.
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Ten years minimum is advised to enjoy them fully and up to 30-40 years for top producers and top vintages. They offer a diverse range of wine styles, from the opulent and structured wines of the first growth chateaux to more approachable in fruit driven from smaller producers.
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The soils are made of gravels of course, because we’re overlooking the Gironde River. So you got all those gravelly deposits with solid amounts of clay as well, which contributes to the tannic structure of the wines. It’s not all gravels and sand like in the south of Bordeaux. There’s a fair amount of clay, and that’s important for Merlot
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and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Chateau Margaux, which is literally named after the village in the appellation of Margaux, has achieved legendary status globally and sells at around $800 a bottle on average across all vintages globally. The second most prestigious and expensive Margaux is neighboring Chateau Margaux, Chateau Palmer. They just literally across a couple of vineyards, and that one retails at around $400 a bottle, and the third most expensive Margaux is Chateau Margaux’s
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second label, their baby wine, if you wish, that you can buy for about $250 a bottle. Other top names to try include Chateau Rauzan-Gassies, Bran-Cantenac, Lascombes, d’Issan, or Chateau Giscours. Always a solid by Chateau Giscours. Time for us to rate Margaux so we can compare it to other prestigious appellations around the world.
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Is it a little bit better or a little bit worse than others? Let’s find out and put it on our board. Private wines appellation leaderboard.
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Quality is as high as it gets in Margaux. Some of the finest wines in Bordeaux. Some of the finest wines in France. Some of the finest wines in the world. It gets a ten out of ten.
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Prestige is also very high, clearly led by Chateau Margaux. As one of the very most prestigious wineries in France, smaller producers get a little more esoteric and only known by educated wine connoisseurs. And perhaps overall, Margot’s fame is not as broad as Saint-Emilion or Chateauneuf-du-Pape, so it gets a nine out of ten. Prices of Margaux wines are solid, but not nearly as high as many Burgundy wines, or even compared to many California wines.
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Star, cult or iconic. Even in Bordeaux, Chateau Margaux is the ninth most expensive wine in the area, topped by Pomerol and Saint-Emilion, so it gets an eight out of ten. Margaux wines are not that scarce, but the appellation is fairly large, just like Pauillac or Saint-Emilion. Not quite as big as Saint-Emilion, but it’s pretty big.
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Top wineries produce tens of thousands of bottles a year each, including Chateau Margaux, so they’re easy to find relatively, but not incredibly common either. So it’s a seven out of ten. Finally, our quality price ratio. If you buy a relatively affordable Margaux, say, between 50 to $80, you can find really decent Margaux for that price. For that price, you’re going to have their world class wine with great finesse.
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That certainly competes with many US wines, or even many premium European small wines are consistently excellent and elegant, so they get an eight out of ten and our grand total score is 42 out of 100 points, which places it just above Pauillac for a better consistency overall and on par with the top Italian Barolo, which is the best appellation we’ve covered so far.
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This ranking is getting quite exciting, if you ask me. If you want to see how wines like Saint-Emilion or Chateauneuf du Pape, Burgundy or Napa Valley and all the Italian wines like will compare to those appellations in Margaux specifically, make sure to subscribe to the channel and please like this video. It’s a small step, but it helps us immensely make more content like this, and feel free to share with anyone who might be interested in this.
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We need more viewers on this channel. Drink safe, intensely tasty, safe and tasty and I will see you soon in the wonderful world of wine. Cheers!
