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Chateau Marquis de Terme

A complete history of Chateau Marquis de Terme can only begin with the noble Gassies family, allied to the Seigneur de Margaux, who maintained a large estate here in the Middle Ages. The estate first passed into the hands of Bernard de Faverolles, before it was acquired by Pierre des Mesures de Rauzan on September 7th, 1661. His estate gave rise to a number of smaller units that still exist today. First and most obviously, this was the origin of both Rauzan-Ségla and Rauzan-Gassies, the Margaux second growths, but it also gave rise to Desmirail and the estate of interest here, Marquis de Terme. The first was created as a dowry for the marriage of Mademoiselle Rauzan du Ribail to Jean Desmirail, the latter also a dowry, this time for the marriage of Elizabeth de Ledoulx d'Emplet to the Marquis de Termes, François de Peguilhan de Larboust. The newlyweds started off with 30 hectares of vineyard, and the wine enjoyed a good reputation, and thus a good price, matching those of some of the leading properties of the appellation (save Margaux itself), such as Lascombes. The property came to the attention of Thomas Jefferson, America's wine-loving ambassador and future president, and he made a positive assessment following his visit there in 1787. Chateau Marquis de Terme was on a roll.

Following the death of the Marquis the estate was acquired in 1809 by Halvorous Sollberg, a Bordeaux négociant of Swedish origins who had married a rich French heiress. He purchased not only the estate that concerns us here, but a number of local vineyards. Initially successful it seems, his business venture then floundered, and in 1834 he fled the country having built up a considerable debt. The property was sold off and seems to have been acquired by another Bordeaux négociant (and perhaps an acquaintance of the Sollberg family?) called Mac-Daniel. Records suggest that Sollberg's wife and family remained at the estate, and that wines produced at Marquis de Terme during this era were attributed to both interested parties. By 1845, perhaps once all the outstanding debts had been paid off, the property and vineyards were returned to Halvorous Sollberg. One can only wonder what Mac-Daniel got out of the arrangement. Despite having survived this test, the Sollberg family, this time with the son Oscar Sollberg at the helm, were once more in financial hot water. In 1886 the estate was up for sale once again, and was acquired by Frédéric Eschenhauer, yet another well known Bordeaux négociant. The Eschenhauer firm ran the estate until, in 1898, it was acquired by Jean Feuillerat, the régisseur. Jean had followed his father Thomas into the chai at Marquis de Terme, and subsequently realised the family's dream of owning the estate. It was passed to his son Armand, who held sway over the vines of Marquis de Terme until his death in 1935. At this point that the estate was sold again, this time the new owners were Pierre Sénéclauze, a wine merchant from Marseilles. Today Marquis de Terme is owned by Pierre's sons, Jean, Philippe and Pierre-Louis.

The vineyard at Marquis de Terme accounts for about 38 hectares of the appellation, with the largest section, a vineyard of 19.5 hectares, on the Labégorce plateau near Chateau Lascombes. The terroir underfoot here is a typical gravelly soil over clay. There are 5.5 hectares planted around the chateau, also on fine gravel, 4 hectares of gravel and dark sand at Aux Gondats, and 9 hectares of gravel and clay vineyards on the Cantenac plateau. The vines are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon which accounts for 55%, then Merlot at 35%, Petit Verdot at 7% and Cabernet Franc at 3%, planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha. The vines average 35 years of age, and are harvested by hand before being destemmed, crushed and fermented in the winery which was constructed in 1981, and which was fitted out with temperature-control to the epoxy-lined concrete vats, which vary in size from 125 to 250 hectolitres, in 1999. The must is pumped over once each day in order to submerge the cap. After a maceration of between three and four weeks, and malolactic in vat, the wines are assessed to see if they are suitable for inclusion in the grand vin. They then go into oak barrels, which are one third new each vintage, for up to eighteen months. The grand vin in question is Chateau Marquis de Terme (12000 cases per annum) and the deuxième vin is Les Gondats de Marquis de Terme (2500 cases).

Reports concerning Marquis de Terme suggest that the quality of the wine has improved in recent years. It is a story that seems to have been repeated across much of Bordeaux, as numerous chateaux climb out of the slump that followed the vine diseases of the late 19th century and the wars and economic depression that followed. With investment and enthusiasm there have been many improvements to make. My tasting experience here is very limited. Nevertheless the 2004 showed a little promise, although stacked up against its peers it was still one of the weaker wines of the commune. The 2003 was not a success, but Marquis de Terme was by no means alone in that respects in this difficult vintage that saw some estates of the Médoc produce their greatest wines for decades, whilst others made more brawny, unbalanced efforts. (10/5/07)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau Marquis de Terme, 33460 Cantenac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 30 01
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 88 32 51
Internet: www.chateau-marquis-de-terme.com

Chateau Marquis de Terme - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2009: Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 34%, Petit Verdot 6%. The nose here is intense and quite lovely, full of damson and black cherry fruit, sweet and dark but also with a suggestion of power. Creamy fruit, a solid backbone of firm and grippy tannins providing a rather iron-bound grip. Great structure and substance here, creamy but a touch juicy in terms of fruit structure, with good acidity. This is a really good effort from this estate. The only issue is a touch of heat in the finish. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (March 2010)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2008: An unusual nose here, meaty, farmyardy, a little herby, but there is also a little cherry fruit. Sweetly textured, then confit, this is a softly composed wine with moderate, ripe tannins and a firm punch of acid. Sweet and a bit jammy though. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 14.5-15.5+/20 (April 2009)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2007: Slightly warm and baked fruits on the nose here, with a hint of pastry too. A very hard and solid surface to the palate, with no give or generosity to be found here. The finish is infused with tannin, whereas on the palate itself it seems very reticent. Difficult to judge today, but doesn't seem up to my en primeur impression. From a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux at two years of age. 14+?/20 (October 2009)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2007: A dark, slightly meaty, macerated fruit feel to the nose, with a background of vanilla. The palate gives some pleasure, starting with a bright, fleshy, pulpy weight which surrounds an appealing tannic core. There is moderate substance, with nice grip. It is not as harmonious as some, but there is a nice definition and it will certainly be good enough to drink. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 15-16+/20 (April 2008)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2005: A dark, slightly meaty, macerated fruit feel to the nose, with a background of vanilla. The palate gives some pleasure, starting with a bright, fleshy, pulpy weight which surrounds an appealing tannic core. There is moderate substance, with nice grip. It is not as harmonious as some, but there is a nice definition and it will certainly be good enough to drink. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 16+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2004: Rather deep presence of fruit on the nose, less appealing perfume than the other wines, and a little oak. An unusual nuance, like a hint of cola? Leaner structure than some, more stark tannins, but it has an appealing, rounded mouthfeel. A little coarse in its composition, but still a good wine. Certainly better than last year's effort. Could do well. From my assessment of Bordeaux 2004. 15.5+/20 (October 2006)

Chateau Marquis de Terme (Margaux) 2003: Rather closed nose. Pleasing texture on entry, but light style through the midpalate, lacking impact, and devoid of character and balanced structure. Not a success at all. From my assessment of Bordeaux 2003. 13/20 (October 2005)