CHÂTEAU MARGAUX REVEALS A NEW DESIGN FOR ITS ‘GRAND VIN’ BOTTLE FOR THE 2015 VINTAGE
For the first time in its history, and for this year only, Château Margaux has created a special bottle for its Grand Vin 2015, which is exceptional in many ways. This is one of the wines of the vintage, having benefited from optimum weather conditions, similar to the years of 2005, 2009 and 2010. The 2015 vintage also celebrates the bicentenary of Château Margaux’s exceptional architecture.
November 13thFRANCE
The 2015 vintage was the last to be produced under the supervision of Paul Pontallier who made such an impact on the Estate, which he joined in 1983, at the age of 27 and assumed its general management from 1989 until his untimely death in March 2016. Paul Pontallier’s talent enabled him to respond to modern oenology’s ever evolving technical requirements, with the aim of producing the best wine possible year after year, one that is worthy of a Premier Grand Cru Classé from the Médoc and the Graves, in line with the reputed classification of 1855.
Corinne Mentzelopoulos entrusted Lord Norman Foster, one of the world’s greatest leading architects, with the design of new buildings including cellars, a spectacular underground vinothèque and a research and development centre. Lord Foster was able to adapt his concept into the existing architectural heritage built in 1815 in a Neo-Palladian style, which is rarely seen in France and is listed as an Historical Monument in 1946. These new buildings were inaugurated in 2015.
The bottles of Château Margaux 2015 will be decorated with silk-screen printing. This has been specially created and fixed on the glass in place of the usual labels on the bottles, magnums, double magnums, imperials and balthazars. Discreet, modern and elegant, this silk-screen printing faithfully mirrors the image embodied by Château Margaux. The Château and the cellars are superimposed in grey and gold. Furthermore, two lines of silk-screen printing at the bottom of the bottle pay tribute to Paul Pontallier and on the back, to two centuries of architecture.
These new initiatives reflect Corinne Mentzelopoulos’s overall aim to celebrate this great vintage – the last to have been supervised by Paul Pontallie, as well as the bicentenary of the architecture of Château Margaux, often called the Versailles of the Médoc, and whose wines have been appreciated since the XVI century.
This bottle reflects the momentum of the rejuvenated management of Château Margaux: Philippe Bascaules, General Manager since March 2017, Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos and Aurélien Valance, Deputy General Managers as well as Sébastien Vergne, Chief Operating Officer.
A sneak preview of a new film entitled – ‘Château Margaux 2015 – an exceptional vintage’ is available to view on the Château Margaux website and on You Tube celebrating the new design of the ‘Grand Vin’ Bottle for the 2015 Vintage of Château Margaux. The film will go live on the Château Margaux Instagram and Twitter channels tomorrow, 14.11.17.