Chateau Magdelaine St. Emilion Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Magdelaine St. Emilion with wine tasting notes, wine and food pairings, best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards, and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Magdelaine History, Overview

Chateau Magdelaine dates back to at least the 18th century when it was owned by the Chatonnet family. By the early 1950s, Magdelaine had fallen into a state of neglect in the wine-making facilities and their Saint Emilion vineyards.

At that point, the estate was put up for sale. It was acquired in 1952 by Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix who replanted the vineyards and modernized the winemaking.

Chateau Magdelaine is an old-school style, traditionally made Bordeaux wine is located just outside of the village St. Emilion. Chateau Magdelaine has some very good neighbors. The property is situated close to Chateau Ausone, Chateau Belair-Monange, and Chateau Canon at the break of the limestone plateau.

Even though this Bordeaux wine is produced almost exclusively from Merlot, Magdelaine is not fleshy or lush in style. It is a lean, light, fresh, bright, stern, classic style of Saint Emilion wine.

Chateau Magdelaine Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 11.3 hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Chateau Magdelaine is planted to 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The terroir is limestone and clay soil.

The vineyard is one large parcel, with a terroir that can be divided into two sections, with 6 hectares located on the Saint Emilion limestone plateau while the remainder of the vines is planted on the slopes. Most of the vines are close to 35 years of age. However, the oldest plots of Magdelaine date back to the 1920s! The vine density is 6,000 vines per hectare.

For the production of Chateau Magdelaine, two laser sorting tables have been in use since 2009. The winery uses thermoregulated concrete vats and since 2004, they have also some stainless tanks for fermentation. No bleedings take place and malolactic fermentation occurs in the tank. The decision to add the press wine is made during the elevage.

Chateau Magdelaine is aged in an average of 40% new, French oak barrels for about 18 months before bottling The production of Chateau Magdelaine is close to 2,500 cases per year. There is a second wine, Les Songes de Magdelaine.

When to Drink Chateau Magdelaine, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Magdelaine is better with at least 5-10 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage. Chateau Magdelaine is best enjoyed in the first 7-25 years of life. However, that is vintage-dependent as a recently tasted 1928 was sublime!

Young vintages can be decanted for about 2 hours or so. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Serving Chateau Magdelaine with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Magdelaine is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Chateau Magdelaine is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes.

Chateau Magdelaine is also good when matched with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

When the 2012 St. Emilion Classification was announced, the owners of Chateau Magdelaine, Ets. Moueix, declared that 2011 would be the final vintage for the property.

From that point forward, the vineyard of Chateau Magdelaine would be merged into their other estate in the appellation, Chateau Belair-Monange.

www.moueix.com