Château Mac Carthy
Food Pairing
Bright and powerful nose offers subtle nuances of cocoa. The mouth reveals exceptional fruit with firm tannins. Well balanced.
- Country
- France
- Region
- Bordeaux
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
- Vintage
- 2018
- ABV
- 14.5
- Code
- 11071
- 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.
Chateau Haut-Marbuzet
Nestled between Châteaux Cos d'Estournel and Montrose, Château Haut-Marbuzets vineyard covers 61 hectares and is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Overlooking the Gironde estuary, most of the vineyards lie on the gravel of Marbuzet and the plateau of Long Treytin. Often described as exotic or opulent, Haut-Marbuzet wines develop a lushness that is unusual in the somewhat severe style of Saint-Estèphe. A second wine is produced from the vines under 12 years old, under the label Château MacCarthy, which bears the name of the Irish Jacobite family who created the vineyard.