十二世紀時，酒莊被叫作 La Mothe de Margaux ( Margaux 山崗) ，也沒有甚麼葡萄樹。那個舊名字不是隨機而改，而在好像梅多克區的平坦地區，一個小小的山丘也十分容易看見，而質素最好的酒也很多時來自能有上佳排水的斜坡。
在1152年，Aquitaine落入英國人手中直至1453年，所以波爾多酒受惠於這個新市場。而波爾多claret 就由十二世紀英國皇帝 Richard the Lion Heart 採用為餐酒。
La Mothe de Margaux 之後的擁有者都很重要，但到了 Lestonnac 家族來臨後才把酒莊建立成今我們看見的模樣，在 Pierre de Lestonnac 繼承的十年中，不但改建了物業的建築物，又跟隨梅多克區的人放棄穀物而改種葡萄。
在十七世紀末，Château Margaux 擁有 265 公頃土地，並不可再被分割出去。酒莊三分一地方分給了葡萄樹，一直以來都沒有變。
英國和荷蘭人都喝 claret，那是一種蒼白而沒有陳年能力的酒。Château Margaux 成為了釀造美術的經典，也確立了波爾多的分級制度。
Château Margaux 終於誕生。
Since the XII century, it was called “La Mothe de Margaux” (the Margaux mound) and, at that time, it didn’t have any vines. The old name didn’t happen by chance; in a flat region like the Médoc, the slightest “mound” was easily distinguished and the greatest wines are always produced on sloping land that ensures good drainage.
In 1152, Aquitaine fell to the advance of England until 1453 and so Bordeaux wines benefited from this new market. Bordeaux “claret” was adopted as a table wine by Richard the Lion Heart, King of England in the XII century.
The successive owners of “La Mothe de Margaux” were, of course, important lords but we had to wait for the arrival of the Lestonnac family to set up the estate as we know it today. Pierre de Lestonnac succeeded, in the ten years from 1572 to 1582, in completely restructuring the property as well as the vineyard and anticipated the general evolution of the Médoc that had started to abandon cereal growing in favour of vines.
At the end of the XVII century, Château Margaux occupied 265 hectares, land that wouldn’t be divided again. A third of the estate was dedicated to vines, which is still the case today.
England and Holland drank “claret”, a pale wine that didn’t age well. Château Margaux became the epitome for the art of wine-making and the hierarchy between the different Bordeaux growths was already being drawn up.
Château Margaux was born.
Appellation:
AOC Margaux, Bordeaux
Country of Origin:
Bordeaux, France
Type:
Red/Rouge (Still)
Grape Varieties:
(1997)Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
(2016)94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot
Vinification:This is undertaken under rigorous temperature monitoring so as to avoid the heat produced by the fermentation hampering and finishing by killing the yeasts that are responsible for it. Pumping the must from the bottom to the top of the vat favours the dissolution of the composition of the grapes, as well as the small amounts of oxygen required for the metabolism of the yeasts. The more recent use of selected strains of yeast enables certain difficult vintages to avoid a languid fermentation.
Once the alcoholic fermentation is finished the maceration continues until the running off: the wines are almost “finished” at this point. But so that they are completely stable, a last biochemical transformation has to be accomplished: the fermentation by bacteria of malic and lactic acids. It’s spontaneous, but it doesn’t always start easily: the wine has to be maintained at a temperature of at least 20°C (68°F).
Tasting Notes:
(1997)
Undoubtedly a success for the vintage, this immensely charming, dark ruby/purple-colored wine exhibits floral, black currant, and smoky, toasty oak aromas. There is admirable richness, excellent ripeness, not a great deal of density, or superb concentration, but plenty of finesse, suppleness, and character. It can be drunk young, or cellared for 12-15 years.
(2016)
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Château Margaux sashays out of the glass with glamorous red currants, candied violets, kirsch and crushed blackcurrants scents followed by notions of tilled black soil, forest floor, cast iron pan and cigar box with subtle wafts of lavender and oolong tea. Medium-bodied, mineral laced accents hover over the palate with an ethereal sensation of weightlessness, yet it is super intense with layers of red and black flavors supported by a firm texture of silt-fine tannins, finishing wonderfully fragrant and incredibly long.
