2009 Margaux, Château Dauzac
About Producer
Mention of the ‘bourdieu’ (farmhouse with a vineyard) de Dauzac was first recorded in 1545 by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Sainte-Croix de Bordeaux. The estate was named after Petrus d’Auzac, the oldest known owner in this part of Margaux who received land in 1190 from Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine. Eight years after it was classified in 1855, Dauzac was purchased by Nathaniel Johnston, owner of Ducru-Beaucaillou but was neglected in the beginning of the 20th century until the Johnstons sold it in 1939. After a string of family ownerships, the estate was purchased in 1989 by MAIF, an insurance company, who rolled out a massive renovation and modernisation programme in the vineyards and in the cellar. In 2020, Dauzac reverted to family ownership following its acquisition by Christian Roulleau.
Varietals
Blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon and 36% merlot
About Appellation
Located at 25km north of the city of Bordeaux, Margaux AOC includes the communes of Arsac, Labarde, Margaux-Cantenac and Soussans. Though vines have been planted here since the Gallo-Roman era, viticulture got boosted in the 17th century, after King Louis XIII commissioned Dutch engineers to drain the swamps and marshlands around the Gironde estuary. The vineyards cover 1,530ha and sit on a silt and gravel plateau on limestone and some clay subsoil. Carmenère and malbec which are permitted for wines of the appellation have been dropped out, and the current predominant varietals are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. There are 21 grands crus classés in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, the most famous being first growth Château Margaux.
Tasting Notes
Fragrant nose of dark fruits, graphite, smoke and floral scents, round mouthfeel with velvety texture, excellent structure and remarkable depth, oodles of flavours of blackberry, cassis, plum, roasted coffee and liquorice liberally laced with savoury mineral undertones, well-embedded acidity and resolved tannins leading onto a long, succulent finish. Probably the best Dauzac made after a chequered spell in the 1990s, this is an utterly delightful wine with endearing elegance, beguiling complexity and lively energy. It’s rich, concentrated yet precise and beautifully balanced. Having tasted Dauzac over the years, I am impressed by the tremendous strides this estate has made over the last decade and the recent vintages assuredly bode well for the future. (02/2024)