Chateau Marjosse Entre Deux Mers, Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Marjosse, Entre Deux Mers with wine tasting notes, wine, and food pairing tips, 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 Marjosse History, Overview

Chateau Marjosse is the home estate for Pierre Lurton. Pierre Lurton is best known as the Managing Director of two First Growth Bordeaux estates. Chateau Cheval Blanc in St. Emilion and Chateau dYquem in Sauternes.

But Pierre Lurton is also well-known for producing some of the best red and white Bordeaux wine from the Entre Deux Mers appellation at his Chateau Marjosse estate.

The affable, charming, Pierre Lurton took over the responsibility of managing Chateau Marjosse in 1990. When Pierre Lurton began at Chateau Marjosse, the estate started out with only 12 hectares. Soon, his father gave Pierre 34 additional hectares and Chateau Marjosse was on the way.

Pierre Lurton has continued to increase his vineyard holdings and has made considerable renovations in the wine-making facilities. Under the care of Pierre Lurton, Chateau Marjosse updated their vinification facilities and built a new vat house.

Most of that work was completed by the 2000 vintage. However, the winery was once again updated in 2013. The design of the buildings is unique to the Entre Deux Mers appellation, with its Italian-looking frontage.

Chateau Marjosse Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 50-hectare vineyard of Chateau Marjosse is planted to both red and white wine grapes. For the white wines, the vineyard is planted to 45% Semillon, 45% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Muscadelle. However, there is also a small parcel of vines planted to Chardonnay.

For the production of their red wine, the vineyard of Chateau Marjosse is planted to 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. Here, the is also a small parcel of old vine Malbec planted.

The terroir of Chateau Marjosse is sand with clay and limestone soils on sloping hillsides that rise to 60 meters at their peak. In the vineyards, Pierre Lurton watched over a replanting of the vineyards and a much tighter spacing for the new vines.

Chateau Marjosse is vinified in temperature-controlled cement vats and aged in French oak barrels. Since 2016, they have added smaller tanks to allow for more parcel by parcel vinification. This also allows for more experimentation with the small plantings of Malbec and Chardonnay.

For the white Bordeaux wine of Chateau Marjosse, vinification and aging take place in a combination of large, used 500-liter oak barrels and egg-shaped cement vats.

The best vintages of Chateau Marjosse are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2009.

Starting with the 2018 vintages, Chateau Marjosse began releasing a few new blends and single varietal red and white wines that are a lot of fun to taste, including a 100% Chardonnay. Perhaps their most unique mono-varietal wine is Marjosse Cuvee Hirondelle, which is produced from 100% Muscadelle.

At least 4 new mono-varietal red wines are now being produced at Chateau Marjosse Cuvee Ortolan which is 100% Cabernet Franc and Cuvee Gros Bec which is produced from 100% Malbec. Chateau Marjosse Cuvée Les Truffiers and Chateau Marjosse Cuvée la Charmille are both produced from 100% Merlot. These are all very small production wines that average about 100 cases per vintage.

There is a second wine, Boisset la Chapelle. The estate also produces a third wine that is made from purchased grape sources, Lurton La Chapelle.

When to Drink Chateau Marjosse, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Marjosse is better with at least 1-2 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted and served if desired. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Marjosse offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 1-8 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Marjosse with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

The red wine of Chateau Marjosse is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Marjosse is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Marjosse is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Chateau Marjosse Blanc can be served right out of the cellar at 14 degrees Celsius. The wine is perfect when paired with all types of seafood, shellfish, crab, lobster, sushi, sashimi, chicken, veal, and cheese.

Chateau Marjosse is a nice, early-drinking Bordeaux wine that sells for a very consumer-friendly price for wines of this character and level of quality. Chateau Marjosse is a wine to drink young, within the first few years after bottling.

Chateau Marjosse is a contender for one of the best wines from the Entre Deux Mers.

http://www.chateau-marjosse.fr