Margaux is a wine growing commune and

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

within Haut-Médoc in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, centred on the village of Margaux. Its leading (''

premier cru Cru is a wine Glossary of wine terms, term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French language, French word which was originally used to refer to both a region and anything grown in it, but is now mostly used t ...

'') château is also called Margaux. It contains 21 cru classé châteaux, more than any other commune in Bordeaux.

Geography

As well as Margaux itself, the ''appellation'' includes the villages of Cantenac, Arsac, Soussans and Labarde. It is on the left bank of the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

. It is the southernmost ''appellation'' in the Médoc (the ''haut'' in ''Haut-Médoc'' refers to the fact that it lies upstream), not far north of

itself. To the east is the Landes forest. 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 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 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 , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

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 (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

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, ...

, Carmenère, and

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 ...

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 Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, 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 viticulture, viticultural strip along the Médoc p ...

or one of the Regional Bordeaux AOCs.

Châteaux

First growth

Château Margaux

Second growths

Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Rauzan-Gassies, Château Durfort-Vivens, Château Lascombes, Château Brane-Cantenac

Third growths

Château Kirwan, Château d'Issan, Château Giscours, Château Malescot St. Exupéry, Château Cantenac-Brown, Château Boyd-Cantenac, Château Palmer, Château Desmirail, Château Ferrière, Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker

Fourth growths

Château Pouget, Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château Marquis de Terme

Fifth growths

Château Dauzac, Château du Tertre

Notable unclassed châteaux

Château Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre, Château Monbrison, Château Siran, Château Labégorce-Zédé, Château La Tour de Mons, Château La Gurgue, Château Labégorce, Château d'Angludet

Notes

References

* * * {{Portal bar, Wine, France Bordeaux AOCs