This vintage benefited from ideal weather conditions. Consequently, the vast majority of our vines reached perfect ripeness, resulting in not only an excellent Grand Vin and Pavillon Rouge but a very fine Margaux du Château Margaux, as well.
These wines are the fruit of a rigorous selection process. Indeed, all grapes from the youngest vines, which suffered considerably from the summer drought, were downgraded into a fourth selection sold in bulk.
This wine is remarkably concentrated—one of the benefits of the prolonged drought—and needed time for its imposing tannic structure to round out and soften. In keeping with our desire to not market this wine until it is ready to drink, we’re delighted to have delayed its sale and to make it available only now after the release of the 2012 and 2013 vintages.
A lovely ruby colour, this wine is imbued with harmonious oak notes and is floral and fruity on the nose. Composed almost equally of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) and Merlot (45%), it is dense, powerful and lingering on the palate, yet unfailingly balanced, thanks to its remarkable freshness. (November 2018)
Margaux
Climate
The wine-growing year started with a virtually summery climate, the months of April and May being a lot hotter and drier than normal. The start-up and growth of the vines was, therefore, very quick and flowering was particularly early. Following that, the months of June, July and August were rather cool, but not wet enough, especially at Margaux, to really change the drought status of the vineyard, a characteristic of the vintage. The 26th and 27th of June were hotter than we had ever seen: numerous bunches of grapes, ready to ripen, taking into account the precocity of the vintage, were subjected to intense heat which caused some damage, particularly in the not very vigorous cabernet sauvignon parcels. The dryness of the vineyard after three months of drought probably amplified this phenomenon, of which the consequences remain generally limited. The harvest, which started on the 25th August for the whites, and the 5th September for the reds, benefited from generally hot and dry weather, which allowed plenty of time for the various sorting operations made necessary by the problems of intense heat. Our only disappointment is the quantity: with a yield of 29hl/ha, the 2011 vintage is the smallest harvest for 20 years!