Icons in the Glass: Four decades of Chateau Margaux

Margaux’s reputation has never been confined to France. In Europe, it was celebrated in royal courts and by critics who prized its perfume and finesse. In the New World, collectors and sommeliers embraced it as a benchmark of Bordeaux elegance, with bottles gracing cellars from New York to Sydney. In Asia, where wine appreciation has surged in recent decades, Margaux has become a touchstone of sophistication, its name synonymous with prestige in markets from Tokyo to Hong Kong and Shanghai. Across cultures, the estate’s wines are admired for their balance, longevity, and unmistakable style.

Yet Margaux’s legacy is not only about wine. The estate is part of a broader landscape: vines cover only a portion of the property, while woodlands, meadows, and marshes form a mosaic that sustains biodiversity. In recent years, sustainability has become central to its identity. The estate has been organically farmed since 2012. Since 2015, Château Margaux has participated in the Margaux Terroir de Biodiversité program, planting hedgerows to connect habitats, practicing late mowing to encourage pollinators, and reducing chemical inputs so that most vines are now herbicide-free. Sheep grazing is used to help manage weed growth. In 2020, a Sustainable Development Officer was appointed to oversee water, energy, and waste management, ensuring that stewardship of the land is as meticulous as stewardship of the cellar.

Today, under the Mentzelopoulos family, Château Margaux continues to produce wines that embody elegance and longevity. The Grand Vin remains a benchmark of Bordeaux finesse, while Pavillon Rouge and Pavillon Blanc extend the estate’s style to more accessible expressions. Collectors prize Margaux for its aromatic delicacy and silky texture, often described as the most “feminine” of the First Growths. But in the 21st century, its reputation rests on more than taste alone. By preserving biodiversity and embracing sustainability, Château Margaux demonstrates that heritage and innovation can coexist — ensuring that the same estate which enchanted Jefferson continues to inspire wine lovers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Exceptionally, Chateau Margaux has roughly the same area under vines today (93 hectares) as originally planted. 82 hectares are planted to red, 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and the remaining 5% split between Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Average vine age is 35 years. The remaining 11 hectares are planted exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc with an average vine age of 40 years. A new winery was opened in 2015 which by adding vats allowed more precise vinification for individual sites.

Château Margaux’s story, then, is one of continuity and renewal: a medieval estate transformed into a First Growth icon, admired across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and now equally defined by its commitment to sustainability as by its legendary wines. That dual legacy — heritage and stewardship — is expressed most vividly in the glass. From the Grand Vin, which embodies the estate’s highest expression of elegance and longevity, to the Pavillon Rouge and Pavillon Blanc, which extend Margaux’s style into more accessible yet distinctive forms, and finally to Margaux du Château Margaux, the estate’s third wine that offers a modern gateway into its world, each cuvée reflects a different facet of this remarkable terroir.

It was with this context in mind that I eagerly booked myself into the Chateau Margaux masterclass held at the Decanter Fine Wines Encounter in Singapore just two weeks ago on the 22^nd of November. Eight wines spanning four decades of production were presented side by side by Alexis Leven Mentzelopoulos, third generation family co-owner and CEO of Chateau Margaux and Georgie Hindle, Decanter Premium editor and Bordeaux correspondent. This experience offered not only a chance to appreciate the nuances of each label, but also to see how Margaux’s philosophy — balancing tradition, innovation, and environmental responsibility — translates into the glass. What follows is an account of those wines, tasted in sequence, and the impressions they left.

Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux has been produced for more than 300 years, and to a Kiwi used to Sauvignon Blancs produced for early drinking was a singular demonstration of the ability of this grape to produce wines that age. Only one third if the Sauvignon Blanc vinified at Margaux ends up in this astonishing wine.

Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux 2018

Lemon in the glass with lively aromas of lemon wax, apple and yellow flowers. On the palate almost shockingly rich and deep with flavours of lemon curd and caramelised peaches with a hint of spice, layers of flavour that fill the mouth and persist yet with a beautiful balance of vibrant acidity. I have never had Sauvignon Blanc this good!

Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux 1996.  

Lemon gold in the glass with aromas of crème brulee, honey, lime and bitter orange. On the palate soft, rich and concentrated, with flavours of crème brulee, lemon curd, vanilla and cashew finishing long with a slightly bitter orange tang. At thirty years this wine is lush but still so alive!

                                                                                                                                The two Pavillon Blancs side by side

The third wine tasted was a single exemplar of the estate’s third wine, Margaux du Chateau Margaux, intended to offer “wine enthusiasts and new generations a gateway into the world of Chateaux Margaux while reflecting the elegance and finesse of its terroir”.  Mostly sold in restaurants.

Margaux du Chateau Margaux 2018.  

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Dark ruby in the glass with aromas of violets, red berries, pencil shavings, spice and a little mint.  On the palate medium-bodied with fresh acidity and fine tannins, a little bit of coconut oak over the plum, berry and graphite flavours was just a wee bit overt for me, medium length.

Fourth was a beautifully aged example of the second wine Pavillon Rouge.

Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux 2009.

A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Medium ruby in the glass with a fragrant nose of ripe dark plums, cassis, pencil shavings and a hint of truffle. On the palate the wine is plush, round and mouth-filling with flavours of ripe dark berries, leather, truffle, milk chocolate and spice. The soft ripe tannins perfectly balanced with fresh acidity. The structured finish is long and velvety with a lingering iron-ore minerality. This must be at or close to its peak.

An astonishing mini-vertical of the Grand Vin (2009, 1999, 1989, 1985) made up the last four wines, a salutary lesson in the wonderful ageability of the wine. It was interesting to note the gradually increasing percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final assemblage, from 67-8% in 1989 and 1985 through 75% in 1999 and 87% in 2009, reflecting the greater ripeness achieved in the variety with global warming. Also fascinating was the increasingly lower percentage of wine going into the Grand Vin – from a production 30 years ago of 200-250,000 bottles to only 100-120,000 bottles today, demonstrating a fierce focus on quality.  

Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe 2009

From an exceptional vintage, possibly pipped by 2010, the wine was dark ruby in the glass with inviting aromas of dark plum, cassis, dark chocolate and cedar, with some pot-pourri florality peeking through. On the palate it is lush, sweet-fruited and mouth-filling. The powerful ripe, dark berry and plum fruit is laced with mocha chocolate and a hint of baking spice, the silky tannins and lively acidity perfectly balanced, the long and juicy finish is complex and layered. Just entering its drinking window and with probably a half century to go! 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.

Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe 1999

From a so-so vintage that had a promising start but heavy rains in late September that brought some dilution, leading to wines of finesse rather than power. The great Chateaux like Margaux produced decent wines partly because only a relatively small proportion of the total production went into the Grand Vin.

In the glass, ruby, no evidence of bricking yet. Distinct aromas of cassis, tobacco, pencil shavings, truffle and a whiff of violets. On the palate medium-bodied, with fine silky tannins, nice freshness and flavours of red and black berries infused with leather, tobacco and cigar ash. The finish is long, elegant and balanced, but lacking the density and richness of the preceding wine. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Likely at its peak now but will hold another 5-10 years.

Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe 1989

From a vintage that saw plenty of heat and dry conditions. The wine was ruby-garnet in the glass with a brick rim.  On the nose cassis, cedar, pencil shavings, truffle and cigar ash. The palate is fuller bodied than the 99 with ripe black berries and sour cherries, bitter chocolate, graphite, tobacco smoke and some clove spice well integrated with fine tannins and juicy acidity. The finish is long and balanced. Plenty of life left yet, the blend is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.    

Chateau Margaux Premier Grand Cru Classe 1985.

Ruby garnet in the glass with a brick rim, and beguiling aromas of pot-pourri, ripe red fruit, aged balsamic, truffle and pencil shavings. The palate is medium bodied with soft cherry compote fruit and milk chocolate flavours overlaying the savoury and spicy core, the round silky tannins perfectly balanced with freshness, the finish is long complex and elegant. 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc 3% Petit Verdot. An absolute joy and privilege to taste, so smooth, I preferred it to the more muscular ’89.