Grand Vin du Château Margaux
The production of Château Margaux 2024 required constant attention. This particularly technical vintage demanded heightened precision all the way through to the harvests, in which every decision played a vital role in preserving the balance and aromatic purity that characterise the Grand Vin. Harvesting conditions were not ideal, with several rainy spells punctuating the picking. Despite the risk of botrytis, we maintained our commitment to wait for each plot to reach optimal ripeness, so as to preserve and fully express the identity of the terroir. The harvests took place in two stages: from the 23rd to 29th of September with a reduced team, then from the 30th of September to the 8th of October with all of our pickers mobilised. The Château Margaux 2024 Grand Vin represents 46% of the harvest, a slightly higher percentage than in previous years. This was due to the best cabernet sauvignon plots which, being less susceptible to downy mildew, produced the vineyard’s highest yields. The blend, true to Château Margaux’s identity, is dominated by 93% cabernet sauvignon, giving it structure and depth. The remainder is made up of 5% merlot, 1% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot, enriching its aromatic complexity and refining its balance.
Margaux
Climate
Weather factors impacting the 2024 vintage began in 2023 with exceptional amounts of rain. From autumn onwards, there was an unusually intense accumulation of rainfall for several months. Between the 18th of October and the 28th of March, more than 1,000 mm of rain fell in the vineyard, surpassing the previous record for rainiest vintage by 300 mm. With mild winter temperatures, 3°C higher than historical averages in March, the abundance of water and warmth provided ideal conditions for the vines to start their growth cycle well ahead of schedule. Bud break occurred between the 22nd and 25th of March, 7 to 10 days earlier than in recent years. However, the wet weather continued, setting the pace for the entire growing season. While some past great vintages, such as 2000, had similar rainfall, what set 2024 apart was the frequency of rainy days. Access to the plots became a constant challenge, and the omnipresent threat of downy mildew meant that teams had to remain vigilant at all times. In this challenging context, flowering was slightly delayed, spanning from the 31st of May to the 7th of June. Véraison, when the grapes change colour, took place between the 9th and 23rd of August, and was reminiscent of vintages such as 2014 and 2016, confirming a growth cycle significantly influenced by wet weather. Faced with these conditions, the vines reacted in contrasting fashions. Plots with very cool, deep soil suffered from downy mildew, particularly affecting the volumes destined for our third wine, Margaux du Château Margaux. Conversely, our gravelly terroirs, with better drainage and earlier ripening, were able to preserve their potential and produce some of the finest grapes of the vintage. While the weather conditions put the vines to the test, they did not compromise the exacting stan - dards and precision with which our teams work on every Château Margaux vintage. With an average yield of 30 hl/ha, the sorting carried out by our pickers in the vineyards was more rigorous than ever, highlighting the most resilient terroirs and offering an optimal balance between concentra - tion and finesse.