Winemaker Notes
Desmirail, a third growth in the 1855 classification, is the fruit of an exceptional terroir in the Margaux appellation, which it represents perfectly with its wonderful elegance and finesse. Its vinification is carried out using modern techniques and equipment, combined with a respect for tradition, resulting in a wine that can be enjoyed in its youth, but which also has a tremendous capacity to improve with age. Château Desmirail is the product of strict selection and carefully adapted maturing.
Blend: 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A medium-to full-bodied red with blackberry, chocolate, walnut and spice character. Creamy and juicy tannins and a long, flavorful finish.
Barrel Sample: 93-94 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Showing beautifully now from bottle, the 2020 Chateau Desmirail offers a great perfume of red and blue fruits as well as spring flowers, incense, and new leather. With medium-bodied richness, round, supple tannins, beautiful balance, and remarkable length, it's another outstanding Margaux in 2020 that already offers loads of pleasure. It will evolve for 15+ years. Best After 2023
-
Decanter
Smoked oak on the nose. This shows elegant fruits, with a silky texture, and a deftness to the winemaking. It dips through the mid palate however and could do with a little more generosity to the fruits to really carry off its intention. A yield of 40hl/ha.
Barrel Sample: 90
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.