Château Marsau

A History

Château Marsau is a gem of a vineyard, sitting high on a plateau in the Côtes de Francs appellation of Bordeaux, north of St. Émilion and east of Pomerol. Owned by the Chadronnier family, who also run the négociant house CVBG, Château Marsau has been producing some of the region's best wines since 1994. Anne-Laurence has been in charge of winemaking since 2012, but it was only in 2017 that she and her husband, Mathieu Chadronnier, bought the property outright from his father, Jean-Marie. Anne-Laurence, originally from Brittany is the viticultural brains in the partnership, Mathieu's words, not my own. Mathieu's is perhaps best thought of as the commercial spark, though his understanding of wine in general as well as his appreciation of global wine markets makes for a fascinating discussion on those occasions we meet. They are a delightful pair which makes it that much easier to really enjoy their wines.

Recent Evolution

I was always a fan of Marsau from my firest experience tasting the 2009 vintage to 2016, but since taking complete control in 2017, the quality has skyrocketed and the style has evolved from rather dense, structured tannic wines pre-2017 to those which are rather more supple and easy to appreciate.

“These wines are skillfully crafted and downright delicious”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown on Château Marsau, thewineindependent.com

The key change has been their focus on converting to organic and biodynamic farming, with a focus on biodiversity. The unusual proximity to forestry land gives their vineyards a unique microclimate. This has been quite a challenge given the issues surrounding mildew for Bordeaux in 2018 and 2023, in particular. In both vintages, the crop was pretty much wiped out. But they persist with their philosophy, and few would argue against this decision given the quality of wine made.

The fascinating development was in 2019 when they stopped tilling the soil between the vines; this essentially turns over and breaks it up, the old theory being it was to add nutrients back into the soil and aid water retention and aeration. Stopping this was rather unusual in Bordeaux at that time; it’s far more commonplace to see very tidy vineyards with bare earth between the vines, but at Marsau, you’ll see many diverse local flora promoting natural microbial populations. There is more and more science to support this way of thinking and many other vineyards around the world are following suit, though Marsau were particularly early adopting this philosophy.

Winemaking

The most significant change in the wine from Jean-Marie’s time at the helm to Anne-Laurence’s is how the tannins are managed. The wines were always dark, concentrated, and intense, but previously, in the cooler vintages especially, Marsau could be a little coarse around the edges. With modern winemaking techniques, tannin extraction can be more carefully managed to ensure they’re ripe and juicy but not abrasive. Combined with ageing a proportion of the crop in steel tanks rather than oak barrels, along with using foudres and amphorae, and harvesting and vinifying in smaller plots, the wines have been better crafted, giving impeccable balance and freshness, especially for the modest price.

Wine Style

The 13 hectares of vineyards, which vary from those planted in the 1970s to some planted a decade ago, are 100% Merlot and, for the most part, on clay-rich soils. This gives the wine great density and accounts for the structure of the pre-2017 wines made under Mathieu’s father. However, it's since Anne-Laurence's influence at the Château that there has been greater appreciation for the subtle variations within the vineyard, with that comes improved management and control of both viticulture and vinification, thus maximising the potential of the final wines.

Vintages

I’ve been enjoying some Château Marsau 2016 of late, the last vintage made before the property formerly changed hands, and it has required a little time to come around. The reviews from barrel in 2017 alluded to the power and the need for patience. More recent reviews from the likes of Jancis Robinson suggest it is now in prime form. Having a couple of cases here at home, I can confirm it’s lovely right now, but will keep a few more years happily.

“Fans of beautifully expressed Merlot will want to snap up bottles of the 2019 and 2020 vintages, in particular, by the caseload!”
Lisa Perrotti-Brown on Château Marsau, thewineindependent.com

Of the more recent vintages, I’ve always thought 2018 was along a similar form to the 2016 and perhaps harking back to the older vintages of Marsau. Given the lower yields and tiny volumes made, it was bottled as a uniquely designed trio. I’d be interested to see how they’re developing the next time I find myself a bottle. Stylistically the Marsau 2019 and Marsau 2020 are clearly wines from the new era, with ripe fruit, but full of finesse along with beautifully integrated juicy tannins. These can be tucked into earlier than previous vintages, but will happily cellar for a decade or more.

Not yet available for delivery, the 2022 remarkably received the same score from James Suckling as he gave Château Margaux. Naturally, that sold out in a heartbeat, but I hope to get a little more in due course. I’m fascinated to see how the 2024 fares when I visit them in April.