Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

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Margaux, potentially the most seductive appellation of the Haut-médoc district of Bordeaux. At their stereotypical best, the wines of Margaux combine the deep ruby colour, structure, and concentration of any top-quality Médoc with a haunting perfume and a silkier texture than is found to the north in st-julien, pauillac, and st-estèphe. Mid-20th-century vintages from its two finest properties Ch Margaux (see below) and Ch Palmer certainly demonstrated this and helped to develop this conception of Margaux. Margaux is the most southerly, most isolated, and most extensive of the Médoc’s communal appellations (see map under bordeaux). Although it is made of several non-contiguous parcels of the best portions of vineyard land, inferior parcels qualifying merely as Haut-Médoc, the appellation takes in not just the substantial village of Margaux, but also the neighbouring communities of Cantenac, Soussans, Labarde, and Arsac.