Château Marquis de Terme

The château

The estate begins in 1762, when the Marquis de Terme received the parcels as his wife’s dowry. The land had been part of Pierre de Rauzan’s holding, which also gave rise to Rauzan-Ségla, Rauzan-Gassies and Desmirail, so those 3 are its siblings. The Péguilhan family held it until 1809 and the Feuillerats for about 125 years after that, with the Sollbergs administering it from 1855. Pierre Sénéclauze, a wine merchant from the Drôme, bought it in 1935 and his family has it still. Paloma Sénéclauze, of the 4th generation, arrived in 2021 and directs the estate; Ludovic David was director from 2009. Sébastien Esquerre came from 12 years at Château Pape Clément to run the vineyard in 2022, and Solana Rey Siceles, who joined in 2016, is cellar master.

The vineyard is 45 hectares in 39 parcels across Margaux and Cantenac, on deep gravel of quartz and quartzite over clay, with roots going down 6 meters, planted at 10,000 vines a hectare, with vines 35 years old on average: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. It grew with the purchase of the château and vines of Château Marojallia, also in Margaux, from Groupe Porcheron; 2023 is the first vintage to include those vines, while Philippe Porcheron kept the Marojallia name. The cellar works entirely by gravity into 31 vats of wood, concrete and stainless steel; the barrel cellar dates from 1981 and the vat room was rebuilt in 2018. The wine spends 18 months in oak, half the barrels new. Cuvée 1762 has been the second wine since 2018, replacing La Couronne de Marquis de Terme, and Empreinte, also from 2018, turns the estate’s grape proportions and its winemaking upside down.

The family has also opened the house to guests. The restaurant Au Marquis de Terme opened on July 1, 2021 under the chef Grégory Coutanceau, and 5 guest rooms followed in 2023. In the glass the style is the Margaux tradition of perfume and supple texture; the 2016, which I tasted in October 2025, joined richness of fruit to real finesse.

At a glance

Appellation

Margaux

Commune

Margaux and Cantenac

Classification

Quatrième Cru Classé 1855

Owners

The Sénéclauze family, since 1935

Direction

Paloma Sénéclauze, since 2021; Sébastien Esquerre, vineyard, since 2022; Solana Rey Siceles, cellar master

Vineyard

45 hectares in 39 parcels, with the vines of Château Marojallia from the 2023 vintage; 10,000 vines a hectare; vines 35 years old on average

Soil

Deep gravel of quartz and quartzite over clay, roots to 6 meters Terroir of Margaux →

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 38%, Petit Verdot 7%

Farming

Haute Valeur Environnementale (High Environmental Value, the French state’s environmental certification for farms), level 3; Terra Vitis; Bee Friendly

Cellar

Gravity into 31 vats of wood, concrete and stainless steel; vat room rebuilt in 2018; 18 months in oak, half new

Wines

Château Marquis de Terme; Cuvée 1762, since 2018; Empreinte, since 2018

The house

Au Marquis de Terme, a restaurant opened on July 1, 2021; 5 guest rooms since 2023; Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant