Primeurs 2009 Margaux
Great connoisseurs, whom of us has never wished to follow the drive lined with plane trees and discover, as he goes along, Château Margaux? Building of the 19th century of neo-Palladian style, eponymous of its appellation, solemn and mysterious, classed as Historical Monument in 1946, the sumptuous residence, refined and aristocratic, is surrounded with a genuine viticultural estate having at its disposal, on both sides of the château, the buildings necessary for the production of the exceptional wines of Margaux.
A view that invites to enter the constellation of Bordeaux's Greatest. Property of Mrs Mentzelopoulos, of Greek origin by her father who bought Margaux in 1977, Château Margaux has always upset the common practices… From the 18th century, the estate manager Berlon is the first to vinify separately the red grapes and the white grapes, which stocks were then planted all together in the vineyard; he demands that the grapes are not harvested in the wee hours: "because the grapes are covered with dew, and if they are picked in the morning, their colour will be diluted and faded by the excessive humidity"… These were the premises of the modern vinification...
Contemporary art, the vinification of the Margaux wines requires the perpetual concern for details to hold in excellence...
Interview of Paul Pontallier, General Manager of the estate…
“Château Margaux has the privilege to possess an extraordinary terroir. The constant subject of our efforts is to reveal every year its essence, that is to make the greatest wine as possible. To reach this objective, the selection has to be merciless at all levels. For a very long time, our predecessors have created a second wine that took the name of Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux in 1908. This selection has become particularly strict: 25 years ago, the first wine tallied with the 2/3 of the harvest and the second wine with the third. In 2009, which is a fantastic vintage, only 36% of the crop goes into the first wine, 41% in the second wine and 23% in the third wine created 13 years ago. But selection is not enough.
The pursuit of excellence is a perpetual quest that goes through a constant concern for the smallest detail. For more than 10 years, we have created a research and development department which aim is to cast doubt on the pertinence of our traditional methods and to try -if possible- to improve them. These actions have already lead to the deep transformation of our vinification vat-rooms. They will conduct within a few years to new changes in the management of the vineyard and the organization of our wineries.” he explains.
When in 1855, the ranking consecrated Margaux as 'First growth'... first spotlight on an international wine... the repute of the "first growths" crosses the Atlantic and Thomas Jefferson, Ambassador of the United States in France, depicts the hierarchy that already reigns between the best wines of Bordeaux with Château Margau (sic! written without 'x') at the first place. He orders Margaux 1784, about which he writes “that there cannot be a better bottle of Bordeaux”...
“The entire production is still distributed by the Bordeaux wine merchants who have a great experience of the international markets. This situation does not lead us to passivity, on the contrary. It is incumbent upon us to explain, to all connoisseurs of great wines all over the world, all the efforts we make so that Château Margaux remains a wine of reference and is systematically considered as one of the greatest. During a recent stay in China, I could realize once again how much the Chinese market is a fantastic opportunity for the great wines. At the same time, the opening of these new markets creates new quality requirements. The last outcome is the Château Margaux 2009 of which all the tasters have greeted the immense quality. Here our responsabilities stop. The market will have to decide of the conditions in which it will be sold.” Paul Pontallier concludes.
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