Margaux Bordeaux

One of only four wineries in Bordeaux, France, with Premier Cru/first-growth status (based on the Bordeaux Classification in 1855), Château Margaux is a storied estate winery located in the Left Bank, in Médoc. It is also in the Margaux region, hence its name.

Château Margaux has produced wine since the 12th century, although not for commercial reasons or to any acclaim until several centuries later. Today, Corinne Mentzelopoulos-Petit, whose father acquired the winery in 1977, runs it.

Planted on the estate are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Each year the winery’s production averages around 385,000 bottles, spread across three releases: Grand Vin Château Margaux, Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, and Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux.

The most expensive bottle of wine ever broken worldwide was a 1787 Château Margaux, insured for $225,000. As the story goes, a waiter knocked over the bottle brought to dinner by a New York merchant, and while it was estimated to be valued at $500,000, the owner only got $225,000 from an insurance claim.

Quick Facts

• Thomas Jefferson, himself a winemaker, raved about Château Margaux when visiting Bordeaux in 1787
• A controversial statement was issued by the winery in 1965, which is that only top-quality vintages would feature the year on a Château Margaux label
• Margaux Hemingway, the granddaughter of famed writer Ernest Hemingway, was reportedly named after Château Margaux