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Château Margaux
Majestic, magnificent and mythical. A wine so loved that Ernest Hemmingway named his daughter after it. One of the fantastic first four, voted the best wine in Bordeaux in 2015, James Suckling described it as "the best ever made"... Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s Chateau Margaux. "There cannot be a better bottle of Bordeaux than a bottle of Margaux," Thomas Jefferson famously said, and to a certain degree, he was right.
A first growth that fell out of favour
Despite its first growth status, Margaux has not always enjoyed the stellar reputation it has today. In fact, in 1984 it was ranked at only 441 of France’s 500 best wines, a figure that had risen to 4 by 1997. The turnaround in fortune began after André Mentzelopoulos, a Greek businessman, bought the estate in 1977 after a difficult couple of decades. Mentzelopoulos invested heavily in replanting, new equipment and staff, bringing in noted wine consultant Emile Peynaud. Sadly Mentzelopoulos died before he could see the (literal) fruits of his labour, but the clever handling of the estate by his daughter Corinne saw Chateau Margaux on the way to becoming what we know it as today.
Don’t always invest in the best
Chateau Margaux is an incredibly valuable wine. Most recently, the vintage extraordinaire from an investment point of view was the 2015. The vintage which has skyrocketed in price since its release in the UK, perhaps due to it being the year estate director Paul Pontallier died (2019 prices are close to €15,103 a case). This vintage is of particular value as the label was redesigned for the occasion, with the phrase Hommage a Paul Pontallier in small letters on the bottom. Investors should note that average points for the 2015 are high, but not perfect, with an aggregated score of 97/100. However, the 2015 still commands a higher market value than 100-pointers such as the 1990 or the 1996.
Chateau Margaux today
The 2017 en primeur prices of €407 per bottle were already up nearly 30% less than 24 months later. The 2017 release price was significantly lower than 2016 (17%), meaning that when you pick up a bottle of Margaux, make sure it’s a good one.
Notable facts and vintages
  • 2005 Chateau Margaux received a perfect 100 points from James Suckling.
  • The 1900, 1990, 1996, and 2000 vintages for Chateau Margaux received Robert Parker’s perfect score of 100.
  • In 2010 Thibault Pontallier (son of managing director Paul Pontallier) was appointed brand ambassador in Asia, a strategy likely to boost China’s placement as top market for Chateau Margaux.