Château Marjosse 2021

A rich and fresh Bordeaux red wine by Pierre Lurton

The estate

Built in 1782, Château Marjosse is an estate located in the Entre-deux-Mers region, on the right bank of Bordeaux. First owned by the wine merchant Bernard Chénier, Château Marjosse was acquired by the Deleuze family, who rented some of the plots to Pierre Lurton in 1990. In 1992, Pierre Lurton, who grew up beside this beautiful Chartreuse-style country house in Château Reynier, moved into a second home at Château Marjosse and acquired several parts of the property from the Deleuze family over the years. In 2000, Pierre Lurton built a super-modern cellar that contains over 40 concrete vats and became the owner of the entire vineyard, along with the Chartreuse, in 2013.

The vineyard

Château Marjosse’s red wine is a Bordeaux wine that stems from a specific 35-hectare vineyard. The vines, aged between 26 and 75 years old, are located on exceptional clay-limestone soils.

The vintage

The frost during springtime preceded heavy rainfall in May and June. The cool weather throughout summer slowed down the ripening process and delayed the harvest by 17 days compared to 2020, giving this vintage a unique style that resonates with that of the 1990s. This vintage perfectly expresses the characteristics of each of the grape varieties that make up its blend. The liveliness and floral structure of the Merlot varietal from the estate’s clay-limestone soils are combined with the perfectly ripe Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Vinification and ageing

In 2017, Pierre Lurton hired Jean-Marc Domme as the vineyard’s technical director. For the first time in the estate’s history, Pierre Lurton carried out a separate vinification by plot and created limited micro-cuvées with the grapes from the most remarkable plots, in order to express their unique characteristics and microclimates. Harvested early in the morning and sorted, the grapes undergo cold pre-fermentation maceration (4 to 5 days). Vinification is carried out in a plot-by-plot manner, without sulphur in order to bring out the aromatic purity of the wine. Following alcoholic fermentation, a selection of the best batches undergo malolactic fermentation in 400-litre barrels (without new wood), while the rest are aged on fine lees in temperature-controlled concrete tanks.

The blend

Merlot (65%)

Cabernet Franc (15%)

Cabernet Sauvignon (15%)

Malbec (5%).

Château Marjosse 2021: Characteristics and tasting tips

The tasting

Colour

This wine showcases a delicate purple colour.

Nose

The nose blends floral fragrances with delicious fruity notes (blackcurrant, raspberry).

Palate

The palate is seduced by this wine’s precision, its delicate feel and its beautiful freshness.