Château La Marzelle

The land at La Marzelle was owned by religious winegrowers linked to the Cistercian abbey of La Faise, founded in 1137 in what is now the commune of Artigues-de-Lussac. In the 18th century they relinquished the estate to the Largeteau family: a marriage contract drawn up in 1734 refers to the property, a report by Maître Isambert dated March 12, 1741 records Mr Largeteau's ownership, and the estate remained in the family until 1891. The name La Marzelle appeared on the Belleyme map in 1821. In 1925, when the Saint-Émilion wine classification did not yet exist, the words 'premier cru classé' appeared on the estate's bottle label. Jacqueline and Jean-Jacques Sioen, Belgian industrialists, bought Château La Marzelle and its 13 hectares of Grand Cru Classé in 1998, and in 2003 the estate bought 4 hectares from its immediate neighbour, bringing it to 17 hectares. Ownership passed in 2020 to the three daughters of Mrs Sioen (d. 2020), Michèle, Pascale and Danielle Sioen, who passed the running of the estate to Jean-Charles Joris, representative of the third generation and manager since 2020.

• Cistercian abbey of La Faise founded in 1137
• Largeteau family ownership from the 18th century until 1891
• Name on the Belleyme map in 1821
• Sioen purchase in 1998 (13 hectares); 4 hectares added in 2003
• Jean-Charles Joris, third generation, manager since 2020

The Saint-Émilion classification has existed since 1955 and is revisable every ten years, and Château La Marzelle was ranked Grand Cru Classé in the 1955 classification. Demoted in the 2006 reclassification, La Marzelle was one of four demoted châteaux that filed legal complaints; the administrative court of Bordeaux struck down the 2006 classification on July 1, 2008, and La Marzelle was reinstated in the 2012 classification. The estate became a member of the Association de Grands Crus Classés de Saint-Emilion following the 2012 classification. In the 2022 classification, approved by the INAO's national committee on September 8, 2022, La Marzelle is one of 71 Grands Crus Classés.

• Grand Cru Classé in the 1955 classification
• Demoted in 2006; one of four demoted châteaux to file legal complaints
• 2006 classification struck down by the administrative court of Bordeaux on July 1, 2008
• Reinstated in the 2012 classification
• One of 71 Grands Crus Classés in the 2022 classification

The 17 hectares lie on the Haute Terrasse de Saint-Émilion, the plateau between Saint-Émilion and Libourne: a geological formation dating back two and a half million years to the Lower Pleistocene, formed on the former bed of the river Isle. There are three types of soil on the property: sand on heavy clay, gravel soil and subsoil, and sandy soil on a sandy-clay subsoil. The vineyard is grouped in a single block around the estate's buildings and planted with 75% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, around 100,000 vines in all. A vineyard renewal plan has raised planting density from 5,600 to 7,150 vines per hectare, and drains are installed in plots as vines are pulled up. Organic trials began in 2008, biodynamic methods were adopted in 2015, conversion to organic farming began in 2017 alongside HVE level 3 certification, and Organic Agriculture (AB) certification followed in 2020.

• Haute Terrasse de Saint-Émilion, formed on the former bed of the Isle
• Three soils: sand on heavy clay, gravel, and sandy soil on sandy-clay subsoil
• 75% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Planting density raised from 5,600 to 7,150 vines per hectare
• Biodynamic methods since 2015; AB organic certification from 2020

The estate's team page lists Jean-Charles Joris as General Manager, Sébastien Desmoulin as Technical Director and Bart De Winne as Sales Director. Jean-Charles Joris, grandson of Mrs and Mr Sioen, has run the estate since 2020.

• Jean-Charles Joris: General Manager
• Sébastien Desmoulin: Technical Director
• Bart De Winne: Sales Director

Harvesting is 100% manual and carried out at the optimum ripeness of each plot, beginning at the end of September. A new de-stemmer with a vibrating table arrived in 2013, and in 2014 the estate added the Tribaie, which sorts grapes by density in a sugar solution; the Calibaie then separates the smaller, more concentrated grapes from the larger ones. The winery was completely overhauled in 2012 with double-walled, truncated cone-shaped, temperature-controlled 80 and 100 hl stainless steel vats and a temperature-controlled cement vat, and twenty 500-litre barrels are added each year. Vinification begins with a pre-fermentation maceration lasting 4 days at 5°C, followed by an alcoholic fermentation of 6 to 8 days and a post-fermentation maceration of 2 to 3 weeks. The wines then age in barrels or terracotta amphorae; depending on the vintage, ageing lasts between 14 and 16 months.

• 100% manual harvest, plot by plot
• Density sorting (Tribaie) since 2014 and size sorting (Calibaie)
• Winery overhauled in 2012 with truncated cone-shaped stainless steel vats
• 4-day pre-fermentation maceration at 5°C; 2 to 3 weeks post-fermentation maceration
• Ageing of 14 to 16 months in barrels and terracotta amphorae

Château La Marzelle, the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé first wine, is matured for 16 months in new French oak barrels and terracotta amphorae; the 2021 came from 14.95 hectares, blended 75% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a production of 35,000 bottles. Château Prieuré La Marzelle, the second wine, is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru aged in 500-litre new French oak barrels for 14 months; its 2020, the first AB-certified vintage, is 92% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Elle de La Marzelle, the third wine, is a Saint-Émilion that comes essentially from young vines and is aged in one-year-old French oak barrels for 8 months. Rosé de La Marzelle is a Vin de France made by direct pressing; the 2022 is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

• Château La Marzelle: Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, 16 months in new French oak and terracotta amphorae
• Château Prieuré La Marzelle: Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, 14 months in new 500-litre French oak barrels
• Elle de La Marzelle: Saint-Émilion, 8 months in one-year-old French oak barrels
• Rosé de La Marzelle: Vin de France, direct pressing

The estate describes its wines as having 'a great aging potential, full-bodied, well-balanced and elegant, with a lovely silky finish.' Its note on the 2021 Château La Marzelle cites 'notes of chocolate, ripe black berries and Sichuan pepper' and calls the wine 'perfectly balanced, well supported by its structure and smooth tannins.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://lamarzelle.com/en, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine/historique, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine/owner, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine/team, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine/terroir, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine/investissements, https://lamarzelle.com/en/philosophy/the-culture-of-the-vineyard, https://lamarzelle.com/en/philosophy/harvesting-vinification-and-maturation, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines/classification-of-saint-emilion, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines/grand-cru-classe/chateau-la-marzelle-2021, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines/prieure/prieure-la-marzelle-2020, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines/elle/2021, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines/rose/rose-de-la-marzelle-2022, https://lamarzelle.com/en/wines, https://lamarzelle.com/en/philosophy, https://lamarzelle.com/en/domaine. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (https://www.winespectator.com/articles/court-throws-out-st-emilion-classification-4219, 3 July 2008), Decanter (https://www.decanter.com/wine/producers/chateau-matras/18684/), INAO (https://www.inao.gouv.fr/en/saint-emilion-grand-cru-classement-next-decade, 8 September 2022) and Winedoctor (https://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/lamarzelle_2.shtml). Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree on the producer's own facts, the producer's site governs.