Margaux Wine: Overview of the Region Producing a Large Number of Fine French Wines

Margaux wine is from a small AOC in the Medoc region in Bordeaux. It is a small area and considered a commune AOC in the Bordeaux region.

Margaux is a very important AOC in Bordeaux. France officially designated this as a separate wine region or AOC in 1954. If you are unfamiliar with the definition of an AOC, learn more on the French wine labels page.

Compared to the other communal AOCs in Medoc, Margaux is the largest. It is also the furthest south in the region.

Wines from this region are the most fragrant wines in Medoc. They are also highly sought after due to the growing conditions and terrior in this region.

Climate and Growing Conditions

As I mentioned on the Fine French wine page, the French use terrior as the main indicator to the quality of the wine in a specific region. Terrior is a combination of the quality of the land, soil, weather, and other factors that make up the overall growing conditions for the grape vines.

The weather in the Margaux AOC is temperate. It usually does not get too hot or too cold, which provides the perfect climate for vineyards. It also receives just a moderate amount of rain.

All of these factors make the terrior in this region a perfect place for wine. This is why there are so many amazing Margaux wine options available today.

Red Wines Grown in This Region

The famous Bordeaux blends from this AOC are a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon wine and Merlot wine. Margaux wine also sometimes includes Cabernet Franc wine. Producers in this region only rarely use Petit Verdot.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most grown type of red wine in this region. Since Margaux has the perfect soil for Cabernet Sauvignon, it makes up over 65% of the red wine grown here.

Merlot is the second most important red wine. About 30% of the Margaux wine includes this as part of their red wine blend.

Find ratings, reviews and prices for some current vintages of Margaux red wine.

1855 Classification and Margaux Wine

In 1855, the producers in Medoc were asked to determine their quality of wines by ranking them against the other wines in the area. This was a difficult challenge, but the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce stepped in to help.

During this classification process, the organizers used terrior and price to determine quality. They created a list and grouped the wineries according to quality. This classification still stands today and producers use this classification on their wine labels.

The highest quality wines are Premier Crus or first growth wines. There are a total of five of them and one of them is located in this region, Chateaux Margaux.

The second highest quality level is Second Crus or second growths. Five of these are located in Margaux and they are:

• Chateau Rauzan-Segla
• Chateau Rauzan-Gassies
• Chateau Durfort-Vivens
• Chateau Lascombes
• Chateau Brane-Cantenac

There are five quality levels in the 1855 Classification. Chateaus that did not make the list are not included in the classification at all.

Ten of the chateaus in this region are in the Troisiemes Crus or third growth. One of the two most notable chateaus in this region is in this category, Chateau Palmer.

Three chateaus are in the Quatriemes Crus or forth growths. Two are in the Cinquemes Crus.

This is an important classification system in this region. Margaux has more chateaus classified in this system than any other commune AOCs in the Medoc region.