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Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker

The Marquis in question established this eponymously defined estate in the late 16th Century, in 1585. Viticulture quickly followed, and records indicate that by 1616, and probably before that, the Alesme Becker wines were on the marketplace alongside those of more illustrious estates further north in the Médoc. Following the death of Marquis d'Alesme Becker the estate was run by his widow, and over the ensuing centuries the estate had a string of different proprietors. It was classified as a third growth in the 1855 classification, a fact that seems very easy to overlook today, as the wine and estate have certainly been low-key in recent years. Nevertheless, business in the 19th Century must have been good, as the 1855 ranking was objective, based on selling price rather, than a subjective opinion such as that which we can form on tasting the wines of the current era. In addition, the erection of the elegant chateau, completed in 1859, also indicates that the estate's finances at that time were in rude health.

By the early 20th Century, however, the estate was floundering, no doubt the inevitable succession of crises of phylloxera, oidium, economic depression and then two wars which tore Europe apart contributed not insignificantly to its deterioration. The property came into the ownership of Jean-Jules Théophile Chaix-d'Est-Ange, a lawyer of great repute, who had also inherited Chateau Lascombes from his father. His intention was to amalgamate the two estates, but he died in 1923, before he achieved his aim. Subsequently his successor, the adopted Comte Emmanuel du Bourg du Bazas, sold Alesme-Becker to WH Chaplin & Co, an English firm that had already acquired Malescot St-Exupéry. Neither property saw any real investment during the Chaplin years, and this situation would not change until the Zuger brothers entered the scene, purchasing both in the mid-20th Century. Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker remained with the Zuger family for half a century, passing from the ownership of Paul Zuger, who died in 1981, to Claude Zuger, his son. But whereas Malescot St-Exupéry, which passed to the other son, Roger, has shown considerable improvement over the last few decades, to the point where the wines are, in my opinion, certainly desirable, those of Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker have persistently failed to impress. It may have been that Claude Zuger simply did not have the drive or commitment to bring the estate up a level compatible with its third growth status, and this assumption would be supported by the sale of the estate in 2006 to Hubert Perrodo, who seemed at the time to be an up-and-coming Margaux property magnate.

Perrodo made his fortune in business, in particular the petrochemical business. He founded Perenco, an energy firm specialising in exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels which today operates over three continents. In 1989 Perrodo purchased Chateau Labégorce, and with the acquisition of Labégorce-Zédé and the long inactive l’Abbé Gorsse de Gorsse in 2006 it was widely reported that his intention was to reunite all three to recreate the original Labégorce vineyard. Along the way, however, he also acquired the vineyards, vinification facilities and cellars of Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker for a sum of more than €30m (the Marquis d'Alesme Becker chateau remained with the Zuger family). Perrodo, who seemingly had a surfeit of chateaux following his purchase of all the Labégorce estates, was set to rechristen one of them as Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker. Things were looking up for this latter estate, as it seemed likely that it would be on the receiving end of some much needed investment and enthusiasm. This plan was dashed in late 2006, however, when Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident when on holiday. It has been reported that the Perrodo family will continue with his work in Bordeaux, although to what effect remains to be seen. The future of Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker once again hangs in the balance.

The Marquis d'Alesme Becker vineyards constitute about 16 hectares of vines, currently planted with only 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, complimented by a generous 45% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, all said a rather unusual mix for any Margaux vineyard. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel before going into oak for up to twelve months, of which a third are replaced with each vintage. The wine is fined before bottling. The grand vin is Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker, of which there are approximately 8000 cases per annum, and there is also a deuxième vin, Marquis d'Alesme, of which there may be 2000 cases. Of the wines, I cannot say much. I have only sampled one or two bottles over recent years. The opinions of other critics suggest I am not missing much, but such opinion should be countered as appropriate. With the acquisition of this estate by Perrodo, there has been hope of a revival at Marquis d'Alesme Becker. Despite his tragic and premature death, I hope that the revitalisation continues as promised. I think this is an estate that, with the right attention to detail, has a lot to offer. (2/5/07)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker, 33460 Margaux
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 88 70 27
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 88 73 78

Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Marquis d'Alesme Becker (Margaux) 2003: A rather deep, darkly coloured wine, although not quite opaque. It has an interesting nose, with some nutty oak character, not really showing any fruit despite its youth, and showing rather animalistic, furry characteristics possibly reflecting low-level Brett contamination. The palate has a similar nature, rather feral, but the tannins are nicely reined in, and here there is some fruit, albeit in a rather sweet, pastille-like, strangely burnt style. It has a nice creamy-gritty finish though, and clearly has potential. It would be interesting to reassess to see if Brett is a real problem here. 16.5+?/20 (February 2007)