![]() ![]() The wine-growing year started with a virtually summery climate, the months of April and May being a lot hotter and drier than normal. Château Margaux 2011 is the most concentrated wine we have ever produced. Then comes the Merlot (10%), the Petit Verdot (2%) and the Cabernet Franc (2%). This year it is uncommonly strong, vigorous and fortunately balanced with lots of smoothness. ![]() Of course the Cabernet Sauvignon also always largely dominates with 86% of the blend. 2011 hasn’t escaped this rule: we can find 38% of the harvest in the first wine, the same proportion as last year. These very great terroirs have a better resistance than the others to rain, drought and disease, and sometimes, even to the inconsistency of man. Importantly, the wine is held in bottle until ready to drink, which may not mean that vintages are released sequentially.Ģ 011/ Whatever the conditions of the vintage, the « hard core » of the quality, that is to say all the parcels which make up the basis of the Château Margaux first wine blend, has been remarkably stable for the last three hundred and fifty years. Because of the particularities of the vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon made up an extremely high 88% of the blend, with Merlot only 12% of the blend. The wine was aged for 15 months, in 10% new oak and 90% second use barrels. A final key point to note, Margaux has for the last 30+ years had among the lowest yields in the Medoc. Today, no insecticides are used, there is an important balance of healthy insects to counter pests, and any number of experiments with ploughing, organic farming, and biodynamic applications are ongoing. The estate is constantly trying to understand through experimentation how to improve soil health and fruit quality. Chateau Margaux’ goal is to nurture and maintain vines for as long as possible, as they believe vines need to reach 20 years of age to produce great wine. Each plot and each variety are treated differently from pruning throughout the growing season. Since then, Château Margaux has known fame and fortune, seeing by experience how ephemeral both are. At the end of the 17th century, it became part of the nascent elite “First Growths” – long before being established officially by the Classification of 1855. Over the years, it has developed a finesse, an aromatic complexity and a remarkable presence on the palate.Ĭhâteau Margaux has sought to achieve excellence in its wines for over 400 years now through painstaking and necessarily long studies of its terroir, through a constant desire to learn and innovate, by remaining sensitive to demanding markets, and above all through a passionate commitment that has been shared by the families that have succeeded each other at the estate. Château Margaux has an extraordinary ability to evolve. They offer the advantage of evolving very rapidly and, reveal, after a few years, instead of power, this subtlety that is the prerogative of great terroirs. ![]() The lesser vintages give pleasure to wise enthusiasts. The great vintages are distinguished by their formidable ability to move us. ![]() Although its tannic concentration may be exceptional, it’s rare to detect astringency. It’s a remarkable wine that comes from a combination of characteristics that are only rarely found: finesse, elegance, complexity, density, intensity, length and freshness. Since the 17th Century, the first wine of Château Margaux has been recognised as being one of the greatest wines in the entire world. It owes its unique qualities to the genius of its terroir as well as to the passionate work of a succession of generations. ![]()
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