Bordeaux

One of the six communes (besides Listrac-Médoc, Moulis, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe and Saint-Julien) within the Haut-Médoc region in Bordeaux in France that are independent appellations and are entitled to state their name on the label. Margaux ist he most famous of these, and is also the largest, located at the heart of the Médoc, with a total vineyard area of around 1.300 hectares. The appellation includes the communes of Arsac, Cantenac, Labarde and Soussans. The wines produced there are among the best of the Médoc. The soils consist of a shallow layer of rough gravel lying over a sub-soil of fine gravel mixed with limestone. 21 of the 61 châteaux included in the list of Grand Crus in the 1855 Bordeaux classification are located within the boundaries of Margaux, that is 35% of the Cru Classé area of the Médoc. These include the famous first growth (Premier Cru Classé) Château Margaux, as well as five second growths (Deuxième) Château Brane-Cantenac, Château Durfort-Vivens, Château Lascombes, Château Rauzan-Gassies and Château Rauzan-Ségla (see the complete list under Médoc). Margaux and Pauillac are the only two communes in the Médoc to have Premiers Crus, and Margaux ist he only commune in which all five classes are represented. In addition, there are more than 20 Cru Bourgeois estates, such as, for example, Château Labégorce-Zédé and Château Siran, as well as a number of estates classified as Crus Artisans. Cabernet Sauvigon makes up the largest share of the red wines, which often have an extremely long maturation potential, nevertheless Merlot also has a higher share here than in the other large communes in the Médoc. While the wines of Margaux have high tannin levels, this makes them typically a little softer.