Château Siran GRAND CRU EXCEPTIONNEL, LABARDE One of our very favourite châteaux making some splendid Margaux of undoubted 'cru classé' quality. Originally in the ownership of the Comtes de Lautrec (remember Toulouse?), it has been in the hands of the Miailhe family for four generations. The 40 hectares of vineyard have recently had a new drainage system installed and, since the 1992 vintage, extensive green harvesting has been practised between July and September. Average yields totter around 45 hectolitres per hectare and, since the 1995 vintage, Brigitte Miailhe has employed Michel Rolland as wine-making consultant and there can be no doubt that this wine has an extra dimension that we have not seen before at Siran. This intense and perfectly balanced example is deeply coloured with masses of ripe fruit and integrated tannins.
Château Labegorce-Zédé, CRU BOURGOEIS EXCEPTIONNEL MARGAUX The estate's name essentially came about as a result of the marriage of Emile Zédé to the daughter of a Monsieur Benoist, owner of the estate which was at that time called Bégorce. The estate is now owned by the Thienpont family. Standing in 39 hectares of vines in the Moulin plateau, Château Labegorce-Zédé is a neo classical gem and is one of the finest houses in Margaux. The gravelly alluvium soil is carefully planted so that each grape variety is matched to specific type of soil where it will be at its best. 48% is Cabernet Sauvignon; 40% is Merlot; 10% is Cabernet Franc and 2% is Petit Verdot.
Château Kirwan, 3EME CRU CLASSÉ MARGAUX Owned by the Schÿler family of the Bordeaux négociant firm Schröder and Schÿler. The château gets its name from an Irishman, Mark Kirwan, who owned the château way bak in 1775. This family lost the estate during the French Revolution and towards the end of the 19th century it was bequeathed to the City of Bordeaux. Schröder and Schÿler bought the estate in 1925. The 67 hectare estate is essentially made up of 2 significant parcels - one on sandy, gravelly soils that produces remarkable Cabernet-Sauvignon and another of more clayey limestone where Merlot thrives.
Château Dauzac, 5EME CRU CLASSÉ MARGAUX Dauzac sits on 120 hectares of which 45 are planted to vines. In the year 1740 Dauzac was given as a dowry to Thomas Michel Lynch, a Irish catholic exile. In 1863 the estate was purchased by an Englishman, Nathaniel Johnston, who had set up as a négociant on the Quai des Chartrons in the city of Bordeaux. It was at Dauzac that a treatment for mildew in the form of copper sulphate was first invented. Mildew had recently arrived from America as a significant threat to vines and the new product was therefore a very significant development in saving much of Europe's vineyards from disaster. Dauzac has been owned by the MAIF insurance company since 1989 and is leased to André Lurton.
The vineyard was first established by monks, the Priors of Cantenac, some 400 years ago. The property was taken over by Alexis Lichine in 1951and subsequently renamed from Prieuré-Catenac to Prieuré-Lichine. Alexis Lichine was renowned as the author of 'The Encyclopaedia of Wines and Spirits' which is still an important reference book today. Today the property is owned by the Ballande group and the consultant oenologists are Michel Rolland and Stéphanie Derrenoncourt.
Château Lascombes, 4EME CRU CLASSÉ MARGAUX Lascombes is one of the largest eatates in Margaux these days and got its name in the 17th century from its first owner, a knight called Antoine de Lascombes. Between 1951 and 71 the estate was owned by Alexis Lichine and was bought by Bass Charrington who eventually sold it to the American investment business Colony Capital in 2001.Colony Capital have invested heavily in the property and in particular have installed a state-of-the-art, stainless steel cuvier. The blend at Lascombes is made up of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, and the wine is aged in oak barriques (60% new) for 18 months. Lascombes produces elegant, well-balanced clarets, rich in succulent creamy blackcurrant fruits, which gain further complexity and depth with ageing. This property is definitly on the up and up.
Château Palmer was built during the Second Empire by the Parisian bankers Emile and Isaac Péreire. The château's elegant architecture features four pointed turrets. Vines surround the château and outbuildings.The vineyards grow on gravelly outcrops in Margaux and Cantenac. The gravel consists of large smooth pebbles that are either lydian, quartz or pudding stone called graves de Palassou. This outstanding terroir is ideal for making great wine. It overlooks the Gironde estuary and benefits from the Médoc's unique oceanic microclimate. The weather is generally hot, dry, and sunny in summer and autumn. Spring comes early and is not very rainy. This brings about early budding, as well as flowering in May and June. Cabernet Sauvignon 55% Merlot 40% Cabernet Franc 5%
Château La Gurgue, CRU BOURGEOIS SUPERIEUR, MARGAUX The wines at La Gurgue continued to be made under the auspices of Claire Villars of Chasse-Spleen fame. The quality of La Gurgue's wines emanates, in no small way, from the quality of its terroir of pure sand and gravel in the middle of the classified growths. La Gurgue is textboook Margaux: it is elegant, feminine and refined. The persitance of this wine in its aftertaste is further testiment to the complexity of its terroir.
This estate, in the commune of Arsac, is adjacent to Cantenac-Brown, Brane-Cantenac and Giscours. It is actually on one of the highest elevations in the Médoc, hence its name 'Tertre' which means a knoll. The vineyard covers 50 hectares with over 50% planted to Cabernet-Sauvignnon on its fine gravel soils. The wines of du Tertre are usually deep in colour and show great finesse. This is a property that is very much on the ascendancy since Dutch businessman, Eric Albada Jelgersma, purchased du Tertre in 1997. Huge investments have been made in the property since and the quality of its wines has begun to soar.
Château Ferrière, 3EME CRU CLASSÉ MARGAUX Managed by Claire Villars-Lurton since 1992. Claire also manages La Gurgue. Chasse-Spleen, Haut-Bages-Liberal and others. Lucky her! The estate got its name from Gabriel Ferrière who owned it in the 18th century. Monsieur Ferrière was the king's hunting officer.
The wines of Ferrière have gone up several notches in quality since Claire Villars.
One of the newest yet most highly regarded of the second wines. Château Palmer was built during the Second Empire by the Parisian bankers Emile and Isaac Péreire. The château's elegant architecture features four pointed turrets. Vines surround the château and outbuildings. The vineyards grow on gravelly outcrops in Margaux and Cantenac. The gravel consists of large smooth pebbles that are either lydian, quartz or pudding stone called graves de Palassou. This outstanding terroir is ideal for making great wine. It overlooks the Gironde estuary and benefits from the Médoc's unique oceanic microclimate. The weather is generally hot, dry, and sunny in summer and autumn. Spring comes early and is not very rainy. This brings about early budding, as well as flowering in May and June.
Owned by Dutchman, Eric Albarda Jelgersma, who also owns the Margaux property of du Tertre. The ideal soil combinations that criss-cross Giscours' vineyards make for highly complex, characterful wines. The estate actually straddles three of Margaux' communes: Labarde, Arsac and Cantenac. Like du Tertre this is definitely a property on the up.
Château Brane-Cantenac, 2EME CRU CLASSÉ MARGAUX Owned and managed by Henri Lurton, whose family has overseen the estate since 1925. Even prior to the 1855 Classification Brane-Cantenac, which used to be called Château Gorce after the founders of the estate, was renowned for the quality of its wines. Indeed it often fetched prices well above the 1er Crus. It was renamed Brane Cantenac after the Baron de Brane who lived there during the early 19th century.
Made from only 30 hectolitres per hectare and with only 47% of the production going into the Grand Vin it is not surprising that this 'super second' has made a full-bodied yet sensationally fragrant wine, managing to combine that Margaux elegance with some substantial weight and power, Gorgeous with masses of length and fine tannins.
The estate was bought by the Chanel company in 1994 who have invested heavily in it since. Under the expert supervision of the englishman, John Kolasa, the wine-making at this estate has come on leaps and bounds. It is now competing at the higher echelons of the Médoc. The wines always exhibit great delicacy and finesse.
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