Margaux and the Southern Medoc

Margaux and Cantenac are often considered Medoc’s most polished and fragrant wine. There are more second and third growths here than other communes. In Margaux the chateaux are closely assembled around the village, with a lot of intermingling of one estate with another. As a result, winemaking and grape varieties often explain the major difference between estates.

The soil is thinnest and most gravel in the Medoc, with the roots able to penetrate 7m deep into the soil. The wines can be supple in good years but rather thin in poor vintages, with a signature sweet perfume. The wines of Chateau Margaux and Palmer often are regarded as pinnacle in this commune.

Chateau Margaux is not only a first growth, it certainly has the looks of a palace and a chai to match, and now produces a white but because of the appellation qualifies only as a Bordeaux AC. Chateau Palmer is a challenge to the crown.

Chateau Lascombes shows how a vineyard became diluted in quality when acquiring more land, but things are starting to improve. Chateau Ferriere is producing convincing Margaux wine with finesse.

Used to be a single estate, Rauzan-Segla is today treated as the better of the two, supported by the fashion giant Chanel since 1994. Rauzan-Gassies still lags behind its second growth status and showing little inclination to close the gap.

Brane-Cantenac and Durfort-Vivens are two second growths owned by different members of the Lurton family, but the wine style is quite different, with Brane more fragrant and Durfort less genereous.

Desmirail has been resurrected recently, now working hard to demonstrate how it justifies the third growth status. Fourth growth Pouget is often treated as the brother of Boyd-Cantenac, with Malescot St-Exupery producing more elegant wines.

The small third growth Marquis d’Alesme-Becker is also now improving under the Zuger brothers. Chateau Marquis de Terme makes some good wine, with d’Issan is fast catching the front tiers in the commune.

In Cantenac, Prieure-Lichine has been producing consistent wine, and Kirwan has also been restored and now shining again. Chateau du Tertre is located by itself, inland in Arsac, under same ownership as Chateau Giscours.

Cantenac-Brown flanks Brane-Cantenac and produces some of Margaux’s most solid wines. On the way south, before going to Bordeaux’s suburbs, one will see Giscours with impressive vine and a flattering style.

Outside the Margaux appellation, Cantemerle is deep in a wood with elegant wines, with La Lagune now a top-flight, but also used to belong to Paul Jaboulet Aine of the Rhone Valley.

Dauzac is managed by the Lurton family and its neighbor Siran produces one of the Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, with the other being Labegorce-Zede, which is now under same management of Labegorce. Siran and d’Angludet are making wines of cru classe quality, and working hard to publicize to consumers.

 

I have tasted the following wines from Margaux and Southern Medoc so far:

Alter Ego	2003
Blason d'Issan	2006
Charmes de Kirwan	2006
Chateau Brane-Cantenac	2004
Chateau Dauzac	2003
Chateau Desmirail	2004
Chateau Durfort-Vivens	2004
Chateau du Tertre	2003
Chateau du Tertre	2004
Chateau Giscours	2002
Chateau Kirwan	2004
Chateau Marquis d'Alesme-Becker	1998
Chateau Palmer	2001
Chateau Prieure-Lichine	2004
Chateau Prieure-Lichine	2006
Chateau Rauzan-Segla	2001
Chateau Siran	2004
Les Ailes de Rauzan-Gassies	2005
Les Gondats de Marquis de Terme	2007
Segla	2004
Vivens par Chateau Durfort Vivens	2005
Chateau Camensac	2005
Chateau Cantermerle	2004
Chateau Cantermerle	2006