Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesBlockbuster stuff, the 2017 Chateau Marquis D'Alesme Becker hails from a 15-hectare vineyard of mostly sandy, gravelly soils located in the heart of the Margaux appellation. Since the arrival of Marjolaine de Coninck in 2009, this estate has been firing on all cylinders. The 2017 is based on 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in 65% new French oak, with the balance in a mix of 1-4-year-old barrels. Inky hued with stunning notes of cassis, ground herbs, tobacco, chocolate, and smoked earth, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, concentrated texture, ripe tannins, and a solid spine of acidity. This backward, unevolved 2017 has all the right components but needs 5-7 years of bottle age.
The 2017 Marquis d'Alesme Becker is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a very serious, classic nose of warm cassis, cedar chest, pencil lead and fragrant earth with wafts of violets and dark chocolate. Medium-bodied, it has a solid backbone of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and a muscular mid-palate of tightly wound layers, delivering lovely purity and great length.
Dark cherry and plum compote flavors are well-rendered, backed by licorice root, black tea and singed alder notes. The structure is fine-grained, letting the fruit linger before a light sanguine element chimes in at the very end. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2032.
Barrel Sample
There’s strong drive here with rich aromas of dark berries and cassis, as well as blueberries. The palate has a bold build of quite fine, firm tannin that carries long, even and true. Drink or hold.
Ultimately, Marquis d’Alesme has always been driven by the idea that a great wine is an inspired work of art. Each vintage is a result of the purest vine-growing tradition, yet Bordeaux has never seemed so exotic.
This wine is full of character and brings the Orient and the West together. Dragon scales and moon gates stand alongside columns and arcades in perfect harmony. A sea of vines stretches out towards the Rising Sun on the horizon.
Marquis d’Alesme offers a highly unusual winetasting experience, where the pleasure of the senses vies with aesthetic enjoyment. A dreamlike utopia begins to emerge.
A Grand Cru becomes an experience… LA FOLIE D’ALESME.
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.
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.