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 boun ...
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 prefectur ...
, 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 t ...
'') 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,
Arsac
Arsac () is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Gironde department
The following is a list of the 535 communes of the Gironde department of France.
The communes cooperate in t ...
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 1,62 ...
. 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) Medull ...
(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 prefectur ...
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 woodland ...
. 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 Lebanon' ...
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 the ...
,
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 us ...
,
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-Médoc ...
or one of the
Regional Bordeaux AOCs
In the Bordeaux wine region there are seven regional '' Appellations d'origine contrôlée'' (AOCs) that may be used throughout the Gironde department. These are Bordeaux Rouge AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge, Bordeaux Clairet, Bordeaux Rosé, Borde ...
.
Châteaux
First growth
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 ...
Second growths
Château Rauzan-Ségla
Château Rauzan-Ségla, or Château Rausan-Ségla, is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Rauzan-Ségla is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classifie ...
,
Château Rauzan-Gassies
Château Rauzan-Gassies is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Rauzan-Gassies is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxi ...
,
Château Durfort-Vivens
Château Durfort-Vivens is a winery in the Margaux Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, appellation of the Bordeaux wine, Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classi ...
,
Château Lascombes
Château Lascombes is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Seconds Crus'' (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. ...
,
Château Brane-Cantenac
Château Brane-Cantenac is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux wine region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen ''Deuxièmes Crus'' (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classificat ...
Third growths
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 1855. ...
,
Château d'Issan
Château d'Issan is a castle and winery in the Margaux Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen ''Troisièmes Crus'' (Third Growths) in the historic ...
,
Château Giscours
Château Giscours 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 Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The ...
Château Cantenac-Brown
Château Cantenac Brown is a winery located in Cantenac in the Bordeaux region of France. As a wine of the Margaux appellation, it was classified as one of fourteen Third Growths (''Troisièmes Crus'') in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official C ...
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Château Boyd-Cantenac
Château Boyd-Cantenac 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 Classificatio ...
,
Château Palmer
Château Palmer is a winery in the Margaux appellation d'origine contrôlée 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 Clas ...
Château Ferrière
Château Ferrière is a winery in the Margaux Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, 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 W ...
Château Prieuré-Lichine
Château Prieuré-Lichine, previously Château Le Prieuré and Château Prieuré-Cantenac, is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Cantenac. The wine produced here was classified as one of ten ' ...
Château du Tertre
Château du Tertre, or Le Tertre, is a winery in the Margaux Appellation d'origine contrôlée, appellation of the Bordeaux wine, Bordeaux region of France, in the commune of Arsac. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen ''Cinqui ...