Château Margaux
Grand Vin du Château Margaux 2019
Margaux
Château Margaux is one of the 5 classified “First Growths”, promoted by Emperor Napolean III in 1855, in Paris at the Second Universal Exhibition. It has enjoyed a lengthy history and esteemed reputation. The estate occupies 650 acres; 215 acres of appellation contrôlée of which 202 acres planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. There are 30 acres planted with Sauvignon Blanc. There are three red wines produced, and they see fermentation in oak barrels anywhere from 15-24 months. The white wine is also fermented in oak barrels where it is then aged for 6 to 8 months.
Winemaking
Cabernet Sauvignon still forms the heart of the Château Margaux, accounting for 90% of the assemblage. Merlot accounts for 7%. In addition to our emblematic parcels, this year we have added the Merlots from the Haut du Jardin parcel which bring body and charm to the wine as a whole. The Cabernet Franc (2%) and the Petit Verdot (1%) complete the assemblage. Château Margaux represents 37% of the harvest.
Vintage
In Margaux, the winter of 2019 was mild at 1 to 2 degrees above the 30-year averages, with limited rain (30 mm less than the 30-year averages) and only three days of frost. Under these conditions, the date of bud-break ranged from March 29th to April 4th.
Spring was mild and temperatures were near-normal for the season, with abundant rainfall at the end of April and again between June 5th and June 18th. Flowering occurred between the 1st and the 9th of June and went relatively well. Only some older parcels of Merlot showed some signs of coulure. The rain, which risked causing occasional outbreaks of mildew, had no sanitary impact and the vineyards remained in a very good state throughout the year.
The summer stood in sharp contrast to the rainy spring. Anticyclonic conditions prevailed and only 64 mm of rain fell between June 21st and September 21st. However, the summer of 2019 will be best remembered for two heatwaves at the end of June and then from July 22nd to 24th when the temperature reached 39.9°C in Margaux!
The red grape harvest began on September 18th in ideal conditions, and the Merlot grapes were perfectly ripe and concentrated when picked. A weather disturbance between September 22nd and the 29th did not affect the health of the grapes and allowed them to ripen more slowly under conditions that were less aggressive for the vines, better preserving the acidity levels, with ultimately not too high levels of alcohol. The grapes picked between the end of September and the beginning of October benefited from the concentration developed after veraison (August 5th to the 10th), without being significantly affected by low slight dilution from the rain.
The harvest ended on October the 10th.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Appellation
Margaux
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