Margaux
How to read this
Capitals mark the stressed syllable. The French r comes from the back of the throat. The recording is the reference.
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
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
- Color
- Red
- Communes
- 4 since 2017: Arsac, Labarde,
Margaux -Cantenac and Soussans; 5 villages beforeMargaux 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
The stack
The same land in
The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map
The pyramid of names shows what each step promises: vines a hectare, bottles, ripeness, day of sale, grapes. Climb from here
Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855, The Crus Bourgeois du
Terroir
One rise at Cantenac, 2 depths of root. In his study of this long, low gravel rise (croupe), G. Seguin found roots near the top going down 4 meters for certain, through coarse, very acid soil; at its foot, beside a small stream (jalle), they stopped at 1 meter. Across the
The Bordeaux map gives the Arsac gravel to the Garonne. There its pebbles are almost all quartz and quartzite, dug from many pits; toward the estuary, at Labarde, Cantenac and Soussans, the deposit turns to yellowish sand with very little clay, gravel and pebbles. Its soils are coarse and acid, except where the older rock beneath breaks through.
In a pit at Bel-Air, Arsac, the terrace holds blackish clays with the remains of tree trunks, and the dark clays at its base gave the pollen of a warm spell, rich in hemlock. With that pollen the same map placed the terrace at the end of the earlier ice ages; an older attribution had put the estuary terraces in the later ones. Its age rests on hemlock pollen and a question mark.
- Slope wash and cover11.3%
- River and estuary deposits of today1.7%
- Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles85.2%
- Molasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakes1.0%
- Older sea limestones and marls0.8%
Shares of the delimited area, measured on BRGM’s geological map, in families by the age and rock its legend prints, youngest first.
Half its delimited soil lies above 16 m, and 9 tenths lies between 6 and 24 m. 0.7% of it is steeper than 10%.
Measured section
The line runs 5.3 km, from 16 m to 3 m. Inside the delimited area it lies between 5 and 20 m.
Colors: Slope wash and coverRiver and estuary deposits of todayIce age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebblesMolasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakesOlder sea limestones and marls
Tap the marker on the section, or open the borehole below: a core slides out, layer by layer.
1Drill here: Cantenac, borehole 779-5-9, 351 m from the line
| Depth | As printed | In English | Age (ICS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 to 9.6 m | Quaternaire | Quaternary | the last 2.58 million years |
| 9.6 to 32.6 m | Éocène supérieur | upper Eocene | late Eocene; no stage is named |
| 32.6 to 130.2 m | Éocène moyen | middle Eocene | middle Eocene; no stage is named |
Log printed in BRGM notice 0779, p. 42, under the heading “Cantenac” (borehole BSS001WWMS in the subsurface register). The log names ages, not rocks. Marked at the point of the line nearest to it.Depths in meters below the surface; thin layers are drawn at a minimum height.BRGM, Notice explicative de la feuille
The units, as BRGM prints them
| Code | Name and age, as printed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Slope wash and cover | 11.3% | |
| CFp | Formations superficielles | 11.3% |
| River and estuary deposits of today | 1.7% | |
| FMy3-z | Schorre actuel et fossile de l'Estuaire de la Gironde, Pré-boréal à actuel | 1.1% |
| and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.7% in all | ||
| Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles | 85.2% | |
| Fwb(G) | Moyennes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasses de Léognan, terrasse de Martillac et terrasse de St Selve indifférenciés (type 3 à 5), Esltérien - "Mindel" | 6.6% |
| Fvb(G) | Hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Martillac (type 2) indifférenciée et terrasse d'Arsac, Ménapien à Bavélien - "Gunz" | 76.7% |
| Fva(G) | Très hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Léognan (type 1) indifférenciée et terrasse de | 1.9% |
| Molasses: sands and clays of old rivers and lakes | 1.0% | |
| and 2 more units under 1% each, 1.0% in all | ||
| Older sea limestones and marls | 0.8% | |
| and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.8% in all | ||
Informative figures, computed from INAO’s digitized parcel delimitation of October 12, 2026 and BRGM’s harmonized geological map (BD Charm-50); heights from IGN’s RGE ALTI 5 m. The plans held at the town hall are the legal reference. The delimited area is always somewhat larger than what is planted.
Sources: G. Seguin, L'alimentation en eau de la vigne et la maturation du raisin en 1970 sur quelques sols typiques du
Its soil, layer by layer · See it in 3D · See it on the Map · Compare it with another appellation · All about Terroir
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:
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
March 9, 2026
February 16, 2026
February 2, 2026
News from Margaux
24
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Margaux records more bats and beesA new inventory found 36% more bats and 15% more bees in the
Margaux vineyard than in 2015, following a decade of expanded biodiversity initiatives.The findings offer a measurable result from appellation-level environmental work. They also provide a benchmark for assessing whether biodiversity programs can produce sustained changes across a major classified-growth landscape.
-
UGCB opens its account of Bordeaux 2026
The UGCB introduced the 2026 Bordeaux vintage on October 16, describing an early, intense vintage shaped by a hot, dry summer and visiting producers in
Sauternes , Saint-Emilion andMargaux .The early framing of 2026 will shape how growers, estates and the trade begin interpreting a vintage marked by exceptional heat.
-
Médoc producers reconsider their use of oakBordeaux’s Left Bank producers are recalibrating their use of new oak, with
Château Lascombes inMargaux , ChâteauGruaud Larose in St-Julien andChâteau d'Armailhac inPauillac taking different approaches this year, according to Decanter.Élevage is central to both the style and identity of classified and unclassified
Médoc wines. A broader reconsideration of oak could change how producers pursue structure, texture and expression. -
Inside the cellars shaping
Margaux 2026At Château Marquis d’Alesme in
Margaux , Gironde, the 2026 vintage is beginning to take shape as hand-harvested grapes are sorted and processed in the cellar.The vintage story now moves from weather and yields to extraction, fermentation and selection. Decisions made in the cellar will determine how the difficult season is expressed in the finished wines.
-
Château Le Coteau opens for
Margaux -SaveursNaturalist winegrower Éric Léglise will open Château Le Coteau in Arsac to the public for the first time during
Margaux -Saveurs, from October 16 to 18.The property offers visitors a view of a lesser-known
Margaux estate surrounded by grands crus classés vineyards. It broadens the appellation’s public face beyond its most famous names. -
Aurélien Valance to lead
Château Margaux Philippe Bascaules will retire at the end of 2026 after three decades at
Château Margaux . Deputy managing director Aurélien Valance will succeed him as head of the estate on December 1.A leadership transition at a First Growth is consequential for collectors and the trade, particularly when the successor is already part of the estate's senior management.
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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 moreOn 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 theHaut-Médoc appellation south ofMargaux . -
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, whileMargaux 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 sudMargaux ,Sauternes orSaint-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 andMargaux . -
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 andPauillac 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. -
French merchant lists
Château Margaux bottles from 1948 to 1998On May 19, 2026, French wine merchant SoDivin said it had
Château Margaux bottles from 1948 to 1998 in stock and ready for immediate shipment. -
Cantenac Brown hands the reins to Romain Courtier
Since early 2026, Romain Courtier has served as managing director of
Margaux Third GrowthChâteau Cantenac Brown , succeeding José Sanfins. -
Bordeaux 2025 en primeur:
Margaux shows that small details change the winePortal 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 inMargaux . 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 blendChâteau du Tertre and Ulysse Cazabonne launched Alba by Tertre, a white Vin de France from a 2.5-hectare plot inMargaux . 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 MasterclassAt 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.