Velvet Glove

Chateau Margaux’s incessant push for quality ensures that its wines continue to seduce.

- Edwin Soon

The wines of Chateau Margaux have long been revered for its quality. As early as 1771, the wines of Margaux were already making their appearance in the catalogues of Christie’s. Notable collectors included the American ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson who was later to become president of the US. In 1989, a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787 from Jefferson’s collection, and owned by wine merchant William Sokolin, was accidently knocked over by a waiter at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Valued at US$500,000, insurers paid out US$225,000 to Sokolin.

The history of Margaux can be traced back to the 12 th century when the estate was known to be occupied by a fortified castle. Through the ensuing centuries, the estate weathered much upheavals and changes in circumstance. During the French Revolution in 1789, the estate fell into disarray. Decades later in 1804, a new owner, the Marquis de la Colonilla, built the ‘chateau’ of the estate. So magnificent was the architecture that it earned Chateau Margaux the nickname ‘Versailles of the Medoc’. Then the famous 1855 Bordeaux Classification elevated the wines to Grand Cru status.