Médoc · Margaux appellation · 21 classified growths in 1855
Margaux wines: vintages available, prices and food pairing
Every Margaux Transvins offers, from second wine to Château Margaux, vintage by vintage: the format, the indicative price and what to expect from it today, ready to drink or for keeping. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
The Margaux wines on offer
From first growth to second wines, in classification order. Filter by budget or by “ready to drink”. Nothing is sent until you click on the quote.
From second wine to first growth
Same appellation, four uses. The 1855 classification tells you a château's rank, not the price of a vintage: the table gives you that.
Second wines
Brio de Cantenac Brown, la Sirène de Giscours, Confidence de Prieuré-Lichine: the younger vines of a classified growth, ready at around three or four years. The Margaux for a wedding meal, served to a hundred people.
Crus bourgeois and unclassified wines
Monbrison, Haut Tayac: the style of the appellation without the price of a classified growth. To drink between five and fifteen years, on a family table.
Fourth and fifth growths
Prieuré-Lichine, Marquis de Terme, du Tertre: classified growths that drink from six years. The right balance between the name on the label and the price of the case.
At the top, Château Margaux, the appellation's only first growth and one of the five firsts of the Médoc and Graves. A wine for very long ageing, drunk in older vintages and given as a gift more often than served at table.
What makes a Margaux
The appellation covers five communes in the south of the Médoc, Margaux, Cantenac, Soussans, Labarde and Arsac (to the south, the Haut-Médoc and La Lagune), on about 1,500 hectares of lean gravel ridges. Cabernet sauvignon dominates, with merlot, a little petit verdot and cabernet franc. The soil, lighter than in Pauillac or Saint-Estèphe, gives more perfumed, finer wines with softer tannins, which often open up earlier than their neighbours to the north.
Just to the north begins Saint-Julien, tighter: see the Saint-Julien wines; the Château Talbot page gives an example, vintage by vintage.
What to serve it with
- A great Margaux of ten years or more: pink lamb, leg of lamb, saddle (see wine with lamb), feathered game for older vintages (wine with game).
- A classified growth of five to ten years: fillet of beef, in pastry or roast, whose finesse matches the wine's (wine with beef).
- A second wine or a cru bourgeois: grilled meats, roast poultry, a board of pressed cheeses rather than blues (wine with cheese).
Which Margaux for which occasion
For a wedding, a second wine or a fifth growth on every table, and a higher-ranked growth for the top table: the which Bordeaux for a wedding page compares the appellations, and great château second wines says when that choice is the right one. For a birthday, the birth year matters more than the greatest year in the table: the birth-year vintage page says what is still drinking. As a gift, a Margaux ready to drink in its original wooden case (see which wine to give), and for clients, the year-end client gifts page works it out per recipient.
What is the difference between a Margaux and Château Margaux?
Margaux is the appellation, shared by some sixty estates. Château Margaux is one of them, the appellation's only premier grand cru classé. Every Château Margaux is a Margaux; the reverse is not true, and the price is a reminder. Its second wine is called Pavillon Rouge.
How many classified growths are there in the Margaux appellation?
Twenty-one in the 1855 classification, more than any other Médoc appellation: one first, five seconds, ten thirds, three fourths and two fifths. The second wines of these châteaux are not classified: the classification applies to the grand vin alone.
How long should you keep a Margaux?
Three to twelve years for a second wine, five to fifteen for a cru bourgeois, six to twenty for a fourth or fifth growth, eight to twenty-five for a second or third, much longer for Château Margaux and Palmer. A little longer in a great year, a little shorter in a weak year or in half bottles. The table applies this rule to every line; it is not a tasting note.
Is there a white Margaux?
No. The Margaux appellation applies only to red wines. The few whites made by its châteaux, such as Château Margaux's Pavillon Blanc, are released under the Bordeaux appellation.
Are the prices shown the ones in the quote?
They are indicative prices, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, delivery excluded. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery grid gives the lead times. For a Margaux or a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.