Château Margaux

Known as "La Mothe de Margaux" as early as the twelfth century, the property did not yet carry vines; the name refers to a slight rise in the land, prized in the Médoc for its drainage. Between 1572 and 1582, Pierre de Lestonnac restructured the estate and its vineyards, and by the end of the seventeenth century it had reached 265 hectares, the size it retains today. In 1705 the London Gazette announced the first auction of Bordeaux's great growths, and the 1771 vintage was the first "claret" from the estate to appear in a Christie's catalogue. Thomas Jefferson, serving as United States Ambassador to France, described the hierarchy among Bordeaux's great wines and placed Château Margaux first; he ordered the 1784 vintage, which he called a wine for which "there could be no better bottle of Bordeaux." The French Revolution brought a rupture: Élie du Barry, Comte d'Hargicourt and Lord of Margaux, was executed and the estate sold as National Property; Laure de Fumel repurchased it but, weakened by the turmoil, put it up for auction in 1801. Bertrand Douat, Marquis de La Colonilla, acquired the property that year and commissioned Bordeaux architect Louis Combes to build the present château; the estate's history page states the works began in 1810, when La Colonilla was over seventy, while its heritage page dates the building more broadly to 1805-1815. He died in 1816 without ever having lived in it. The Ionic-columned, neoclassical building became known as the "Versailles of the Médoc."

• Appellation: AOC Margaux, Médoc, about 30 kilometres from the city of Bordeaux
• Origins: known as "La Mothe de Margaux" from the 12th century; Pierre de Lestonnac restructured the estate 1572-1582; it reached its present 265-hectare size by the late 17th century
• 1771: the estate's first vintage to appear in a Christie's catalogue as "claret"; Thomas Jefferson, as U.S. Ambassador to France, later ranked it first among the Bordeaux crus and ordered the 1784 vintage
• The château was built for the Marquis de La Colonilla by architect Louis Combes (construction begun 1810 per the estate's history page; dated 1805-1815 on its heritage page), earning the nickname "Versailles of the Médoc"

The 1855 Bordeaux Classification, commissioned by Napoleon III for the Paris Exposition Universelle, sorted roughly sixty Médoc growths (plus one from Graves) into five tiers after a blind tasting held in Paris. Four properties were ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé, and Château Margaux was the only one of the four to receive the maximum mark of twenty out of twenty. The estate changed hands several times afterward; the Ginestet family, owners from around 1950, were forced to sell after the ruinous 1972-1974 vintages left them financially exposed, and André Mentzelopoulos bought the property in 1977. His daughter, Corinne Mentzelopoulos, led the estate for more than forty years afterward. In the early 1990s she brought in the Agnelli family, led by Fiat's Gianni Agnelli, as investors for about a decade, then repurchased their shares in 2003 to become sole shareholder again. In late 2023 the family carried out a generational transition: Corinne handed the CEO role to her son, Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, while her daughter, Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos, became President of the Supervisory Board of the holding company.

• 1855 Classification: one of four original Premier Grand Cru Classé (First Growth) estates, and the only one of the four to score the maximum twenty out of twenty in the blind tasting behind the ranking
• Ownership: sold by the financially pressed Ginestet family to André Mentzelopoulos in 1977; his daughter Corinne Mentzelopoulos led the estate for more than 40 years afterward
• 2003: Corinne Mentzelopoulos repurchased the shares the family had sold about a decade earlier to the Agnelli family (led by Fiat's Gianni Agnelli), becoming sole shareholder again
• Late 2023: Corinne passed the CEO role to her son Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos (publicly announced in October 2023); daughter Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos became President of the Supervisory Board of the holding company

Château Margaux covers 265 hectares in the AOC Margaux appellation of the Médoc, of which about 87 hectares are red vines and 12 hectares are Sauvignon Blanc vines currently in production, with the remainder given over to meadow, woodland, parkland and historic buildings. The estate comprises 126 mapped plots; Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety, planted on 72 of them, complemented by merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. The red vines average 35 years old, with the oldest parcel, "The Cuvier," planted in 1951; the Sauvignon Blanc vines average 50 years, with the oldest dating to 1970. Planting density ranges from 6,666 to 10,000 vines per hectare depending on soil and the desired balance of vigour and concentration. The property rests on Tertiary limestone-and-clay formations overlaid by Quaternary gravel, sand and clay terraces from the Garonne, including the gravel-rich "Type 4" terrace considered emblematic of Margaux; this combination provides deep rooting and naturally regulated drainage. The estate has been converting its vineyards to organic farming and, in response to climate change, has begun orienting newly planted vine rows between 45 and 60 degrees NE/SW to reduce sunburn on the grapes.

• 265 hectares total: about 87 hectares red vines, 12 hectares Sauvignon Blanc vines currently in production, the rest meadow, woodland, parkland and buildings
• 126 vineyard plots; Cabernet Sauvignon dominant on 72 of them, complemented by merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot
• Red vines average 35 years old (oldest parcel, "The Cuvier," planted 1951); Sauvignon Blanc vines average 50 years (oldest planted 1970)
• Soils: Tertiary limestone-and-clay beneath Quaternary gravel, sand and clay terraces, including the gravel-rich "Type 4" terrace typical of the Margaux appellation

The Grand Vin du Château Margaux has been recognized among the world's great wines since the 17th century; roughly 40% of the harvest is selected for it, it is aged an average of 21 months in new French oak, and average annual production runs around 120,000 bottles. Pavillon Rouge, the estate's historic second wine and the oldest second wine in the Médoc, has carried its current name since the 1906 vintage; its blend runs roughly 75-80% cabernet sauvignon and 15-20% merlot with a touch of cabernet franc and petit verdot, aged about twenty months with nearly 60% new oak, and it averages around 100,000 bottles a year. Margaux du Château Margaux, the estate's third red wine, had previously been sold in bulk until the 2009 vintage, when the estate began ageing and bottling it with the same care as Pavillon Rouge; it is sold only through a limited number of restaurants and specialist wine merchants. Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc grown on a 12-hectare historic plot, has carried its current name since 1920; it is aged about eight months with roughly 20% new oak, some of it in 350-litre barrels, produces around 12,000 bottles a year, and has been sealed with a Diam closure since the 2017 vintage. Pavillon Blanc Second Vin, launched with the 2022 vintage as the fifth wine the estate has introduced in five centuries, averages around 15,000 bottles a year and is distributed through the négociants of the Place de Bordeaux. On authentication, the estate has used laser-engraved bottle codes since 1989 (applied systematically from the 1995 vintage onward), an embossed château emblem on the bottle base since 1997, a Prooftag "bubble code" verification system since 2011, and, from January 1, 2026 onward, a QR code on the seal of every bottle leaving the cellars.

• Grand Vin: about 40% of the harvest, aged an average of 21 months in new French oak, roughly 120,000 bottles average annual production
• Pavillon Rouge (second wine, named since the 1906 vintage): roughly 75-80% cabernet sauvignon, about 100,000 bottles average annual production
• Margaux du Château Margaux (third wine): aged and bottled like Pavillon Rouge since the 2009 vintage; Pavillon Blanc Second Vin, the fifth wine the estate has launched in five centuries, debuted with the 2022 vintage
• Anti-counterfeiting: laser bottle codes since 1989 (systematic from the 1995 vintage), embossed château emblem since 1997, Prooftag bubble code since 2011, QR code since January 1, 2026

The estate's own vintage archive, which runs back to 1771, singles out several years by name in its tasting notes. It calls 1900 "the legendary 1900," a record-volume harvest "matched only in 1982," and "one of the greatest wines we have ever tasted." It describes 1953 as "one of the greatest vintages of Château Margaux." Of 1961 it writes that it "has sometimes been said" to be "the greatest vintage since 1900," a wine shaped in part by the early "modern oenology" associated with Professor Ribéreau-Gayon and Dr. Émile Peynaud. It calls 1982 "a very powerful, fleshy and complex wine." The 2009, made from just 36% of that year's crop, is described as one that "may well be the greatest young Château Margaux we have tasted over the last 30 years"; the 2010, at 90% cabernet sauvignon, is called "at least as great a vintage of Château Margaux as 2009." The 2015 marked the bicentenary of the château's buildings and the inauguration of the new winery designed by architect Lord Norman Foster; only 35% of that year's harvest went into the Grand Vin, and the estate's own tasting note calls it "fittingly, the final vintage overseen by Paul Pontallier, Managing Director of Château Margaux from 1989 to 2015," released in a specially designed screen-printed bottle. The 2016, at 94% cabernet sauvignon, "clearly ranks among the greatest vintages of this early century," in the estate's words.

• 1900: called "legendary" by the estate, a record-volume harvest "matched only in 1982," and "one of the greatest wines we have ever tasted"
• 1953 and 1961: the estate calls 1953 "one of the greatest vintages of Château Margaux"; of 1961 it writes it "has sometimes been said" to be the finest vintage since 1900
• 2009 and 2010: the estate calls 2009 possibly "the greatest young Château Margaux" tasted in 30 years, and 2010 "at least as great a vintage"
• 2015: bicentenary of the château's buildings and the new Norman Foster-designed winery; the estate's own tasting note calls it Paul Pontallier's final overseen vintage, released in a special screen-printed bottle

André Mentzelopoulos, born in 1915 in Patras, Greece, built his early fortune in the import-export trade before acquiring the French retailer Félix Potin in 1958. He bought Château Margaux in 1977 and, working with oenologist Émile Peynaud, restored the neglected vineyards, reintroduced a more tightly selected Pavillon Rouge, redefined Pavillon Blanc, and introduced new-oak ageing; the 1978 vintage was immediately acclaimed as the fruit of that revival. He died in 1980. His daughter, Corinne Mentzelopoulos, then 27 and freshly graduated from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, took over the estate, continuing to work with Peynaud and the estate's technical team, then led by Philippe Barré. Paul Pontallier joined the estate in 1983 and became its managing and technical director; the estate's own vintage notes describe his tenure as Managing Director as running "from 1989 to 2015." He died in 2016. Philippe Bascaules, who had served as the estate's technical/estate director from 1990 to 2011 under Pontallier before becoming managing director of Francis Ford Coppola's Inglenook estate in California, returned to Château Margaux as managing director effective March 1, 2017, a post he still holds. The winery designed by architect Lord Norman Foster, extending the château's historic east wing, was inaugurated in 2015 and houses a dedicated research and development center; the estate's R&D department, established in 2000 and led since January 2018 by Blandine de Rouffignac, runs roughly 30 trials a year and has logged more than 180 experiments since its founding. In late 2023, Corinne Mentzelopoulos passed the CEO role to her son, Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos, who had joined the estate in early 2020 as Business Development Director before becoming Deputy General Manager for Strategy and Development; his sister, Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos, who joined the estate's team in 2012 and became deputy managing director of communications and image for the holding company in 2016, was named President of the Supervisory Board.

• André Mentzelopoulos: bought the estate in 1977, worked with oenologist Émile Peynaud to restore it, died in 1980
• Corinne Mentzelopoulos: took over in 1980 at age 27; brought in the Agnelli family as partners in the early 1990s and repurchased their shares in 2003; led the estate for more than 40 years
• Paul Pontallier (joined 1983, died 2016): the estate's own notes describe his managing directorship as running 1989 to 2015. Philippe Bascaules, the estate's technical director 1990-2011 and later managing director of Inglenook in California, returned as managing director on March 1, 2017
• Late 2023: Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos (joined the estate in 2020) named CEO; Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos (joined 2012) named President of the Supervisory Board of the holding company

Primary sources (the estate's own site, chateau-margaux.com): home, history, terroir, team, heritage, vine-work, cellar-work, commitments, R&D, vintages index, bottle authentication, visit/contact, and the five wine pages (Grand Vin, Pavillon Rouge, Margaux du Château Margaux, Pavillon Blanc, Pavillon Blanc Second Vin). Secondary sources: The Drinks Business (Paul Pontallier's March 2016 obituary; the October 2023 CEO-succession announcement; Philippe Bascaules's October 2016 appointment as managing director). Last verified 2026-09-09. Where the estate's own site and a secondary source disagree, the estate's own site governs.