Chateau Haut-Marbuzet - 2016

Toasty and smoky. Lovely weight of berried fruit with elegant spicy tones. Tannins are round and ripe and give this red wine a perfect frame.

Country

France

Region

Bordeaux

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Vintage

2016

ABV

13

Code

11049

Style

Red

Reading the works of a number of commentators on Bordeaux and it soon becomes clear that some hold Haut-Marbuzet, as shaped by Hervé Duboscq, in the highest regard. Clive Coates once ranked it third in the commune behind only Montrose and Cos d'Estournel.

The origins of Haut-Marbuzet lie in the 18th Century, when much of the land around the hamlet of Marbuzet, in the commune of St Estèphe, was in the ownership of two families. The first is a familiar name, it being none other than the nobleman Alexandre de Ségur, who held sway here until his death in 1776, when his lands were divided and sold.

This estate was acquired by Marc-Antoine Domenger, who was régisseur at Latour, and these vineyards subsequently gave rise to Chateau Le Crock, now owned by the Cuvelier family of Léoville-Poyferré, and Chateau de Marbuzet. The other name, not so familiar, is Sylvester Fatin, who bequeathed his lands to his daughters in 1770.

In 1825, however, these vineyards came to the MacCarthys, a family of Irish immigrants and wine merchants. It was the MacCarthy estate that would give rise to Haut-Marbuzet.