Margaux
The commune appellation with more classified growths of 1855 than any other, 21 of 61, on a plateau of Garonne gravel, under a name that reaches well beyond its own village.
The place
Margaux lies 30 kilometers north of the city on a central plateau of Garonne gravel, the graves dragées of small pebbles, set over a tertiary terrace of limestone and clayey marl; 6 types of Quaternary terrace lie within the appellation. It covers Arsac, Labarde, Soussans and Margaux-Cantenac, the commune formed in 2017 when Margaux and Cantenac became 1, on the boundary a court fixed on December 3, 1923; the cahier des charges (the appellation’s official rulebook), the appellation’s official rulebook, still names 5 communes. About 1,500 hectares and some 62 estates make around 9 million bottles a year.
The rules
Red only, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère, planted at no less than 7,000 vines a hectare, at 57 hectoliters a hectare with a ceiling of 63, and 11% of natural alcohol at least. The rules of March 31, 2023 admitted Castets as a variety of interest for adaptation, up to 5% of an estate’s vines; the first experimental harvest came in 2025. The wine is raised until June 1 of the year after the harvest and may not reach the consumer before September 1.
The names
Margaux holds 21 of the 61 red growths of 1855, more than any other commune: Château Margaux among the Firsts, Palmer and Ferrière among the Thirds, and Dubignon, the Third that no longer exists. Thomas Jefferson, passing through in 1787, had already put Château Margaux first in his own list. The appellation was recognized by decree on August 10, 1954.
- Color
- Red
- Communes
- 4 since 2017: Arsac, Labarde, Margaux-Cantenac and Soussans; 5 villages before Margaux and Cantenac merged
- Vineyard
- About 1,500 hectares, some 62 estates
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère; Castets to 5% since 2023
- Density
- 7,000 vines a hectare at least
- Yield
- 57 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 63
- Alcohol
- 11% natural at least
- Release
- From September 1 of the year after the harvest
- Classified
- 21 growths of 1855
- AOC since
- August 10, 1954
Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Margaux, arrêté du 31 mars 2023 · INAO, Margaux · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux · Conseil des Vins du Médoc, Margaux · Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855 · Communauté de Communes Médoc Estuaire, Margaux-Cantenac
The stack
The same ground in Margaux may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Crémant de Bordeaux, Médoc and Haut-Médoc. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855, The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, The Crus Artisans du Médoc and The Michelin Guide selection.
Châteaux on this site
- Château Boyd-Cantenac
- Château Brane-Cantenac
- Château Cantenac Brown
- Château d’Angludet
- Château d’Arsac
- Château d’Issan
- Château Dauzac
- Château des Graviers
- Château Desmirail
- Château Deyrem Valentin
- Château du Tertre
- Château Dubignon
- Château Durfort-Vivens
- Château Ferrière
- Château Giscours
- Château Haut-Breton Larigaudière
- Château Kirwan
- Château La Fortune
- Château La Gurgue
- Château La Tour de Bessan
- Château La Tour de Mons
- Château Labégorce
- Château Lascombes
- Château Les Barraillots
- Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry
- Château Margaux
- Château Marojallia
- Château Marquis d’Alesme Becker
- Château Marquis de Terme
- Château Marsac Séguineau
- Château Monbrison
- Château Mongravey
- Château Moutte Blanc
- Château Palmer
- Château Paveil de Luze
- Château Pouget
- Château Prieuré-Lichine
- Château Rauzan-Gassies
- Château Rauzan-Ségla
- Château Siran
- Château Tayac
- Clos de Bigos
- Clos des Quatre Vents
- Clos du Jaugueyron
Also in this appellation, with no page here yet: Château du Grand Soussans.
Tastings
20
April 23, 2026 · 18
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 4
April 20, 2026 · 10
Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 1
April 9, 2026
Château Prieuré Lichine 2019, Margaux
March 9, 2026
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2018, Margaux
February 16, 2026
Château du Grand Soussans 2021, Margaux
February 2, 2026
Le Page de La Tour de Bessan 2015, Margaux
News from Margaux
18
-
Michelin’s Bordeaux List Draws a Different Bordeaux Hierarchy
Vino Joy reads the Michelin selection of Bordeaux estates against the classifications and finds a different order underneath it: Margaux, Mouton Rothschild and Haut-Brion are not at the top of the selection, Latour is not on it at all, and the counts published for it do not agree with each other.
-
Bordeaux begins the 2026 harvest weeks early after a hot, dry summer
Bordeaux began its 2026 harvest weeks early after a hot, dry summer, with Château Margaux picking Sauvignon Blanc on Aug. 7.
-
Bordeaux Wildfires Expose Growing Climate Risks For Wine Producers
On August 3, 2026, ESM Magazine said wildfires outside Bordeaux were intensifying pressure from drought and heatwaves, bringing one of the region's earliest harvests on record. Vines in Margaux remained intact, and wine quality was not expected to suffer from the fires.
-
How Château Cantemerle spread its wings once more
On August 3, 2026, decanter.com said Château Cantemerle completed the final part of its renovation in time for the 2025 vintage, marking a new era for the fifth growth in the Haut-Médoc appellation south of Margaux.
-
Bordeaux Vineyard Prices Plunged by More Than 80% in Parts of the Médoc
According to Sud-Ouest, average vineyard prices in the Médoc fell more than 80%, from €55,000 per hectare in 2018 to €10,000 in 2025. Pauillac prices fell from €2.2 million to €1.7 million per hectare, while Margaux declined from €1.1 million to €800,000.
-
A first in France: this ride-hailing service launches an offer to try to save the Bordeaux vineyard
According to Actu.fr, Bolt launched its first such offer in France, Bolt Vignobles, in Gironde on July 1, 2026. Options serve 3 or 6 people from Bordeaux or Bordeaux-Mérignac airport to Médoc sud Margaux, Sauternes or Saint-Émilion.
-
‘A warrior variety’, Cabernet’s resilience from the Maipo to Margaux
Winemakers at Casa Real and Château Lascombes say Cabernet Sauvignon’s future remains bright as climate and consumer tastes change, drawing comparisons between Alto Maipo and Margaux.
-
Sensory experience in Goiânia revisits the historic Bordeaux Classification - Zelo
In Goiânia on July 9, sommelière Emília Almeida will lead a tasting experience featuring wines from Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac and revisiting the Bordeaux Classification created in Paris in 1855.
-
Liv-ex says the Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur campaign attracted demand for only a handful of wines
Liv-ex says Bordeaux 2025 En Primeur attracted selective demand, with buyers favoring Cheval Blanc, Margaux, Lafite and Batailley while many other wines struggled against older, cheaper vintages.
-
Liv-ex: Not all is lost after ‘tepid’ En Primeur campaign
Liv-ex said the Bordeaux En Primeur 2025 campaign produced tepid sales in the UK trade, with release prices viewed as too high, although selective demand emerged for Cheval Blanc, Margaux, Lafite and Batailley.
-
WineCap: which châteaux ‘won’ EP in terms of pricing?
WineCap said fewer than 10 major Bordeaux 2025 en primeur releases offered genuinely attractive pricing to the trade, identifying Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Léoville Las Cases, Margaux and Ducru-Beaucaillou as sensible buys.
-
A French merchant lists bottles of Château Margaux from 1948 to 1998
On May 19, 2026, French wine merchant SoDivin said it had Château Margaux bottles from 1948 to 1998 in stock and available for immediate shipping.
-
Cantenac Brown hands the reins to Romain Courtier
Since early 2026, Romain Courtier has served as managing director of Margaux Third Growth Château Cantenac Brown, succeeding José Sanfins.
-
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Margaux shows that small details change the wine
Portal Tela says Margaux’s 2025 wines achieved an average rating higher than in 2024 and 2023 and close to 2022. Yields averaged 29 hl/ha, the lowest recorded for a frost-free vintage.
-
90 years at the helm of Marquis de Terme
Terre de Vins marks the Sénéclauze family's 90th vintage at Château Marquis de Terme, the 1855 classified growth in Margaux. The anniversary is tied to Bordeaux's 2025 en primeur week, with a vertical tasting and the reissue of a book by Bernard Ginestet.
-
An extremely successful evening dedicated to Bordeaux
Club Wein&Genuss held a Bordeaux Edition evening at Hotel Bernerhof on Friday, March 27, with more than 30 participants and wines from Château Siran-Margaux, Château BIAC-Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux and Terrois de Crus Jan & Florian Thienpont.
-
Château du Tertre partners with Ulysse Cazabonne to launch ‘iconoclastic’ white blend
Château du Tertre and Ulysse Cazabonne launched Alba by Tertre, a white Vin de France from a 2.5-hectare plot in Margaux. The 2024 blend contains 46% Chardonnay, 38% Sauvignon Blanc and 16% Viognier, with a first release of 2500 numbered bottles.
-
4 decades of Château Margaux: A Decanter Fine Wine Encounter Masterclass
At Decanter's Fine Wine Encounter in Singapore in 2025, a masterclass tasted nearly 4 decades of Château Margaux wines led by CEO Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, a member of the owning family.