Château Soussans Margaux 2012

Besides being a renowned appellation in Bordeaux, Margaux is also a French female name meaning ‘pearl’. Women named Margaux are often sassy and glamorous (remember model Margaux Hemingway?) And without doubt does Château Soussans possesses those same qualities – it’s feisty yet poised, with an irresistible sense of glam. Its rich perfume is hypnotic. Its mouth-feel is pure silk. And it leaves you wanting more. This is a stunner that sweeps you off your feet, leaves you dizzy with enjoyment, and one that really carves a name for itself. Oh dear, we were sounding classy until that last bit…

Château Deyrem-Valentin dates back to 1730 but the current owner’s – Jean Sorge – grandfather bought the estate back in 1928. The winery is situated in the Soussans commune, just north of the village Margaux. Both places are included in the renowned Margaux appellation. The Sorge family practices a strictly traditional winemaking procedure, as they find too modern techniques can overshadow the true terroir of the wine. Jean’s principal desire is to make wine which is expressed by the fruit.

Margaux is on the left bank of the Gironde, and is the southernmost appellation in the Médoc. It contains no less than 21 cru classé châteaux, more than any other commune in Bordeaux.

Jean is aided by his two daughters Sylvie and Christelle at the winery. Christelle returned to the family property after doing stints in Australia and Chile where she practiced her wine making. Paying close attention to expressing terroir and caring for the vines, the Sorge family is dedicated to making high-quality Margaux wines.

The soil in the region is predominately gravel, with bands of clay. The vines go through traditional double Guyot-cut pruning before the grapes are hand-harvested and sorted twice – once in the vineyard and then again at the winery. Vinification is traditional with cold macerations and over-pumping to bring out deeper colour, flavour and tannic structure. First fermentation takes place at 28-30 degrees, then malolactic fermentation is done in new French oak barrels. The wine is then aged for 15 months in French oak barriques. Egg whites are used for fining the wine before bottling.