Château Marquis d'Alesme Becker

About the producer

The estate dates back to 1585 and has been producing wine on the property since the early 17th century. In the 1855 classification the Chateau was awarded Third Growth status. Through much of the 20th century the estate was owned by the Ritz /Zuger family who were also the owners of neighbouring Chateau Malescot St Exupery. For much of this time the wine of Marquis d’Alesme was produced in the neighbouring estate.

Up until 2006, Chateau Marquis d’Alesme was a largely neglected property, sitting on some of the best terroir in the appellation. It is in fact the smallest classified growth in the Medoc and it consists of just 15 hectares made up of three separate plots which neighbour the vineyards of Chateau Margaux. The property was bought by Nathalie Perrodo-Samani in 2006, with the current winemaking team starting to make changes in 2010. An impressive, brand new winery was built in 2014 and ever since the quality has been on a sharp upswing.

In the vineyard

Impressive positioning with vineyards neighbouring Chateau Margaux the soil is a mix of gravel, clay and limestone with a significant proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon dominating the blend. The property operates on a intraplot viticultural program adapting their viticultural practices depending on the specific plot and the age of the vine. With the warming, drier climate of Bordeaux in recent vintages the team at Marquis d’Alesme prefer to thin shoots rather than deleafing, avoiding potential sunburn of grapes whilst reducing transpiration of water and thereby concentrating the nutrition in the sap to the shoots bearing fruit. This time consuming approach has brought fantastic results that the winemaking team believe is very much worth the extra effort in relation to the increased quality in fruit.

In the winery

The winemaking team at Chateau Labegorce is headed up by Marjolaine Maurice de Coninck wo since taking over at the property in 2011 has made huge improvements in the wines coming out from the property. A complete renovation of the new winery at Chateau Marquis d’Alesme was completed in 2014. Designed by architect Fabien Pendalaborde, it is an incredibly impressive no expense spared design which is even the more extraordinary considering the relatively small size of the property and their production. This shows the serious intent of the Perrodo family to make this third growth estate in Margaux one of the regions finest. The project builds a bridge between the French and Chinese cultures of the family and highlights a cultural heritage and knowhow that shows the serious intent of the Chateau. The wine’s élevage is done in 100% oak barrique of which 50% is new oak with a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant assemblage typically made up of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% merlot and 6% petit verdot.

About the producer