Chateau Margaux 2011

Characteristics and tasting advice for Château Margaux 2011

Tasting

The Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage imparts uncommon strength and vigor, balanced by great softness. Château Margaux 2011 is a concentrated wine with very discreet tannins.

A great Margaux wine combining power and structure

The estate
With origins dating back to the 12th century, Château Margaux is one of those Grands Crus that have built the legend of Bordeaux’s great wines around the world. In 1855, the château attained the title of Premier Grand Cru Classé and was the only one of the four estates presented to receive a perfect score of twenty out of twenty. With the acquisition of the estate in 1977 by André Mentzelopoulos, Château Margaux began a new chapter in its history. Elevating the Grand Vin of Château Margaux to the highest level, he reintroduced the estate’s Second Wine, Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, first initiated in 1908. Following in her father’s footsteps after his premature passing, Corinne Mentzelopoulos took up the family banner with energy and passion to preserve the standing of Château Margaux, which had become a Bordeaux masterpiece, so recognizable by its neo-Palladian style. Vintage after vintage, the estate’s wines rank among the greatest in the world.

The vineyard
The Château Margaux vineyard owes its uniqueness to its rare and singular terroir, set on a gravelly rise. The estate’s plantings give pride of place to the signature red grape of the area, Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The estate’s clay-limestone soils give rise to legendary wines, with a refined and sensual character, so representative of the Margaux appellation.

The wine
The Grand Vin represents 38% of the harvest.

The vintage
The year opened under almost summer-like skies: April and May, warm and dry, pushed the vines into rapid growth, leading to an exceptionally early flowering. Then came June, July, and August, cooler yet stingy with rain, leaving the Margaux vineyards particularly marked by drought. On June 26 and 27, an unprecedented heatwave affected clusters already close to veraison, especially impacting the frailest Cabernets, with sunburn exacerbated by three months of thirst—effects that were, however, largely contained. The early harvest began on August 25 for the whites and September 5 for the reds, under clear, dry weather that allowed for careful, unhurried sorting. One bitter note remained: a meager yield of 29 hl/ha, making 2011 the smallest crop in twenty years.

Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon (86%), Merlot (10%), Petit Verdot (2%), and Cabernet Franc (2%).