Appellation d'origine contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
, centred on the village of
Margaux
Margaux (; oc-gsc, Margaus) is a former commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.premier cru
Cru is a wine term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French word which is traditionally translated as "growth", as is the past participle of the verb "croître" (to grow); it literally means 'grown'. The ...
'') château is also called
Margaux
Margaux (; oc-gsc, Margaus) is a former commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.cru classé châteaux, more than any other commune in Bordeaux.
Geography
As well as Margaux itself, the ''appellation'' includes the villages of
Cantenac
Cantenac () is a former commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.Arsac,
Soussans
Soussans (; oc, Sauçan) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gironde department
The following is a list of the 535 communes of the Gironde department ...
and
Labarde
Labarde (; oc, La Barda) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Gironde department
The following is a list of the 535 Communes of France, communes of the Gir ...
. It is on the left bank of the
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1, ...
. It is the southernmost ''appellation'' in the
Médoc
The Médoc (; oc, label= Gascon, Medòc ) is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the '' département'' of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from ''( Pagus) Med ...
(the ''haut'' in ''Haut-Médoc'' refers to the fact that it lies upstream), not far north of
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...
itself. To the east is the
Landes forest
The Landes forest (; La forêt des Landes in French) in the Landes de Gascogne (las Lanas de Gasconha in the Gascon language), in the historic Gascony natural region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest man-made woodl ...
. The soil is the thinnest in the ''Médoc'', with the highest proportion of gravel. (The generally perceived opinion being that poor soil makes good wine.) The gravel provides good drainage. The forest to the west shelters the vines from Atlantic breezes. Margaux contains 1413 hectares of vineyards, making it the second largest ''appellation'' in the ''Haut-Médoc'' (after Saint-Estèphe). The châteaux are concentrated in the village, and the vineyards are more intermingled than elsewhere. The vines ripen 7–10 days before the rest of the ''Médoc''.
Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...
is the predominant grape, but it is invariably blended with other grapes. As with all red Bordeaux,
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...
,
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...
,
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...
Malbec
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
may also be included in the blend (although wines will not necessarily include all six grapes). The wine is known for its perfumed fragrance. The dominant fruit flavour is blackcurrant. The wine from the southern part of the ''appellation'' (i.e. Cantenac, Arsac and Labarde) tends to be more powerful but less fragrant, and leans more towards plum.
Wine from Margaux may be labelled as ''Haut-Médoc'' (usually wine which the château considers inferior to its main offering and wishes to market under a different label).Clarke, p51 It would also be possible (though unusual) for the wine to be labelled using the
Médoc AOC
Médoc is an AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary that covers the northern section of the viticultural strip along the Médoc peninsula. The zone is sometimes called Bas-Méd ...
Château Margaux
Château Margaux (), archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve ''Premier cru'' (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expens ...
Château Durfort-Vivens
Château Durfort-Vivens is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxièmes Crus'' (Seco ...
Château Kirwan
Château Kirwan is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus'' (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1 ...
Château Malescot St. Exupéry
Château Malescot St. Exupéry is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus'' (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classi ...
Château Desmirail
Château Desmirail is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. It was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus'' (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.Karen MacNeil ...
Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker
Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus'' (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Cl ...
Fourth growths
Château Pouget
Château Pouget is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten ''Quatrièmes Crus'' (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The ...
Château Marquis de Terme
Château Marquis de Terme is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten ''Quatrièmes Crus'' (Fourth Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of ...
Fifth growths
Château Dauzac
Château Dauzac is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Labarde. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen ''Cinquièmes Crus'' (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official C ...
Château Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre, Château Monbrison, Château Siran, Château Labégorce-Zédé,
Château La Tour de Mons
Château La Tour de Mons, archaically named Tour de Marsac, is a winery and wine from the appellation Margaux, located in the Left Bank of the Bordeaux wine region of France, in the commune of Soussans. The wine was rated ''Cru Supérieur'' in ...