Corinne Mentzelopoulos and general manager the late Paul Pontallier have crafted truly great red Bordeaux now for upwards of two decades. The wine is not only remarkably elegant, with the unmistakably intense perfume of the appellation, but also enormously rich. Loaded with dense but supple tannins, Margaux is remarkably powerful and needs a minimum of 10–12 years’ ageing to begin to reveal itself. Meticulous care in the vineyard and at harvest, along with traditional vinification in wooden fermenters, defines the style and quality. The vineyards have been farmed organically since 2017. An increase in the strictness of grape selection has reduced the number of cases produced as the Grand Vin from 20,000 in the eighties to around 12,000 today. As a result, the wine has got better and better and with the possible exception of the 2013 vintage has shown a remarkable consistency of greatness since the turn of the millennium.The second label, Pavillon Rouge, ensures the integrity of the Grand Vin but is itself regularly very impressive.As well as the 82 ha of red varieties planted there are some 12 ha of Sauvignon Blanc, which produce an intense floral, grassy and complex white sold under the humble Bordeaux AC. Surprisingly the wine was very uneven prior to this and the Mentzelopoulos family involvement. Philippe Bascaules, the former Technical Director at Ch. Margaux until 2011, was brought back from INGLENOOK in the Napa Valley, where he will continue to act as Director of Winemaking, to succeed Paul Pontalier as Managing Director who passed away in 2016. (DM/NB)
