Appellation
Margaux
Identity card
VillageAOPRed
Bordeaux › Médoc · Recognised on 10 August 1954
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Red only: Arsac, Labarde, Margaux-Cantenac and Soussans.
- The largest of the Médoc's communal appellations.
- Cabernet Sauvignon on nearly 60% of the vines; Merlot rarely over 30% of blends.
Grape varieties
Red wine onlyCabernet SauvignonMerlotCabernet FrancPetit VerdotCot
Also principal: Carmenère
Production rules
57
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
7,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 June after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 67 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 12.5 % ABV across 63 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Garonne gravel terraces, some with large pebbles
- Lie of the land: Mounds rising in steps from 6 to 33 m
- Water: Ocean and estuary temper an oceanic climate
Wine style
- deep red colour
- finesse
- fruity aromas
- long-lived
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
31 March 2023
Arrêté du 31 mars 2023 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Margaux » (JORF n°0081 du 5 avril 2023, texte n°21 ; BO n°15 du 13 avril 2023). La fiche produit INAO donne 1954 comme année de reconnaissance de l'appellation.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Margaux »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Official sourceLe classement GCC 1855 par appellation — Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855— Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 (Médoc & Sauternes)
- Official sourceDélimitation parcellaire des AOC viticoles de l'INAO (jeu de données ouvert)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / data.gouv.fr
- Trade bodyVins de Bordeaux — site officiel du Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux— Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB)
The southernmost red communal appellation of the Haut-Médoc and the largest of the six, Margaux covers five historic communes — Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Labarde and Arsac (Margaux and Cantenac merged in 2017 into the single commune of Margaux-Cantenac) — not merely the one it is named after. It holds twenty-one classified growths of 1855, more than any other Médoc appellation, around the first growth Château Margaux. Its fine gravel and lighter soils than Pauillac's give wines known for floral perfume and the fineness of their tannins.
Classifications
The Official Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855 — Médoc and Graves
| Tier | Estate | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Third Growths | Château Kirwan | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château d'Issan | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Giscours | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Boyd-Cantenac | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Cantenac Brown | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Palmer | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Desmirail | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Ferrière | 1855 |
| Third Growths | Château Marquis d'Alesme | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Pouget | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Prieuré-Lichine | 1855 |
| Fourth Growths | Château Marquis de Terme | 1855 |
| First Growths | Château Margaux | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Rauzan-Ségla | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Rauzan-Gassies | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Durfort-Vivens | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Lascombes | 1855 |
| Second Growths | Château Brane-Cantenac | 1855 |
| Fifth Growths | Château Dauzac | 1855 |
| Fifth Growths | Château du Tertre | 1855 |
Mini-challenge
Margaux
3 questions on Margaux, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
Preparing the mini-challenge…