Tour de Bordeaux - Wednesday Evening at Chateau Margaux

Chateau Margaux, a legend of fine wines, was our spot for dinner on Wednesday Evening.The Margaux estate encompasses approximately 650 acres of land. The red grape vineyard is 203 acres and the white grape vineyard is 30 acres.  They produce a total of approximately 365,000 bottles or 30,000 cases annually.

The entrance to Chateau Margaux.

When we arrived, we were met at the bottom of the massive staircase by a butler, carry cool drinks for all on a particularly warm day. Water and Orange Juice before we started our tour.

The butler returns to the Chateau after bringing us cool drinks upon our arrival.

We started with a tour and tasting hosted by General Manager an Director Paul Pontallier.  Paul is a legend in the wine community and has run the estate since taking it over at the age of 27 a number of years ago.

Paul Pontallier pours wine for a tasting after the tour

 We toured the wine making operation where one of the interesting observations was that the wine was produced in about equal amounts of stainless tanks and wooden vats.  All were about 15,000 liters and all were about a 1:1 ration of height to width.  Many of their oak vats were more than 30 years old and they had expected only about 15 years from them.  Now they are thinking that they might get 60 years. All their wines go through extended maceration, they remain on the skins, for 10-21 days after the wine is fully fermented. That also seems to be a standard practice in Bordeaux. Most Margaux wines are about 90% Cabernet Sauvvignon and 10% Merlot.

One of the Chai (Barrel Room) at Chateau Margaux

Did you know that a Chai is an above ground barrel room as distinguished from a cellar below ground? True.

  

The Chai at Chateau Margaux is a magnificent space with barrels stretching on forever.  It is a veritable Temple of Wine.  In this photo you can see all of the new  barrels waiting for the 2011 harvest.  All Barique Traditionale with black hoops and ash ends.  Neither the ash hoops, the pine boarded heads or the black hoops adds anything other than aesthetics to the process, but interestingly everyone, everyone, in Bordeaux uses the Traditional barrels.  I guess when you make the kind of money that they are making you don't have to worry about it and they need to look as good as they can to continue to sell their wines as luxury goods. The barrel room was redone at Pontallier's request.  It is exactly the opposite of a radiant heat system that we are familiar with.  It is a radiant cooling system.  The airspace above the ceiling is cooled in the summer so the cold will radiate down. Pontallier doesn't want any air movement in the space and does not want the vibration from any equipment to hamper the delicate settling of the wine. Interestingly the cellar was quite warm as cellars go, between 60 and 65 degrees, with very high humidity.  He said 85%, although it seemed more like 70% to me.  He said he wanted the wine to change temperature during the year because it helped it age gracefully.

Another Cellar at Chateau Margaux - "A temple of Wine"

 A barrel making shop at Chateau Margaux

At Margaux they also make some of their own barrels.  I think this is more out of tradition and to keep the barrel making facility for tours than for anything else. Their barrel maker can only make about 3 barrels per day, so they would never be able to make enough for their either production.  They also use many of the same barrels that we do, Seguin Moreau, Demptos, Boutes and Taransaud. 

 Peter and Patricia arriving for dinner at Chateau Margaux

Dinner was also amazing.  Our group was joined by the Pontalliers and their son and Agustin Que and his wife. Agustin is the Maitre of the Commanderie de Bordeaux chapter in Jakarta, Indonesia. This dinner, in  their main salon where, Kings, Queens and Presidents have dined was spectacular to say the least, We started with a lobster dish, accompanied by a 2001 Margaux Pavillon Blanc en Magnum. The Second course was a wonderful veal dish, accompanied by a  1989 Chateau Magraux and the cheese course was accompanied by a 1982 Chateau margaux!!! Even Margaux's brochure characterizes the 1982 as one of their 4 great wines of the 20th Century.

Le Menu

Napoleon's music box

Following dinner we adjourned to a drawing room for Cognac and cigars were offered.  I actually had one, the first in a year. One of the great treasures in the drawing room was a large exquisite music box that Napoleon commissioned to have built.  He then gave it to one of his generals as a gift after that general had won a particularly important battle. It ultimately found its way to the Chateau.  And the best part is... it actually works and provided some music for the event.





A big thank you to the Pontalliers for a particularly wonderful evening.