Margaux (; oc-gsc, Margaus) is a former

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in 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 1,62 ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Margaux-Cantenac.Arrêté préfectoral
17 November 2016

Geography

The village lies in the Haut Médoc wine making region on the left bank of the

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...

estuary, northwest of the city 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 ...

Population

Wines

Margaux is the name of the wine appellation d'origine,

Margaux AOC Margaux is a wine growing commune and Appellation d'origine contrôlée within Haut-Médoc in Bordeaux, centred on the village of Margaux. Its leading ('' premier cru'') château is also called Margaux. It contains 21 cru classé châteaux, more ...

, that encompasses the village and the neighbouring villages of

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 ...

, Labarde, Soussans and Cantenac, and is the most southerly of

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 ...

's appellations. The commune makes almost entirely red wine. The 1855 classification contained more wines from Margaux than from any other appellation, and its best-known vineyard,

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 ...

, was one of only four wines to be awarded the

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 ...

status.

Cultural references

The singer-songwriter and oenologist

Al Stewart Alastair Ian Stewart (born 5 September 1945) is a Scottish born singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician who rose to prominence as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s. He developed a unique style of combining folk-rock so ...

released an album of songs involving wine in 2000 called '' Down in the Cellar'', of which one track is entitled "Waiting for Margaux." In the movie

Withnail & I ''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...

, the character Uncle Monty brings a bottle of '53 Margaux ("best of the century") to the cottage in the country. In the 2009 movie ''Sherlock Holmes'',

Holmes Holmes may refer to: Name * Holmes (surname) * Holmes (given name) * Baron Holmes, noble title created twice in the Peerage of Ireland * Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond (born 1971), British former swimmer and life peer Places In the Uni ...

(

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

) refers to a Margaux 1858 and expresses fascination that an astronomical event can affect the quality of the harvest, referring to the 1858 Margaux being a

comet vintage Comet vintages are years during which an astronomical event, involving generally a "Great Comet", occurs prior to harvest. Throughout the history of wine, winemakers have attributed successful vintages and ideal weather conditions to the unexplaine ...

. In the Masterpiece Series TV show Downton Abbey Season 5 Episode 9, A conversation between Carson and Mrs. Hughes... Carson states "They didn't finish this and they are away tomorrow, so I thought we might. It's favorite of mine." "You won't go far wrong with a Margaux" as he pours from a decanter left over from upstairs. In 'The Final Gambit' by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Marguax is mentioned when Avery finds a photograph of three women in the pool as a clue left by Tobias Hawthorne.

References

Former communes of Gironde {{Gironde-geo-stub