Château Marjosse

Built in 1782, Château Marjosse is a property located in Entre-deux-Mers on the right bank of Bordeaux. Initially owned by wine merchant Bernard Chénier, Château Marjosse was acquired by the Deleuze family, who in 1990 sold a few plots of land to Pierre Lurton. In 1992, Pierre Lurton moved into a second home at Château Marjosse and over the years successively bought several rooms from the Deleuze family property. In 2000, Pierre Lurton built an ultramodern cellar containing more than 40 cement vats and in 2013 became the owner of the entire vineyard as well as the Chartreuse.

Since its acqusition by Pierre Lurton in 1997, Château Marjosse has doubled in volume, reaching 71 hectares in a remarkable terroir. Although located in Entre-deux-Mers, its terroir closely resembles that of Saint-Emilion, as Pierre Lurton explains it:”a fairly rare thing in Entre-Deux-Mers, the limestone at Astéries, the same one that has made the reputation of the wines of Saint-Emilion, comes to the outcrop here”.

The estate is composed of young and old vines, some of which are centenarians. Nearly 50 hectares are planted with red grape varieties, native and typical of local blends (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec), which produce a Bordeaux appellation wine. The rest is planted with Sauvignon Blanc (around 50%), Sémillon and a little Muscadelle, to produce an Entre-Deux-Mers white wine. The specificity of this grape variety seduced this genius winemaker, who brought all his talent to make Château Marjosse an estate recognized for its quality and elegance.

Hiring Jean-Marc Domme as technical director in 2017, for the first time in the history of the estate, Pierre Lurton initiates a separate vinification by plots and the creation of micro-cuvées in limited quantities from the grapes of the most remarkable plots, in order to express the characteristics and the microclimate of each of them.

Vinification at Château Marjosse is as precise as it is traditional of Bordeaux wines. The grapes are mecanically harvested early in the morning to limit oxidation and preserve the aromatic richness of the fuit. They are then hand-sorted and gently pressed in pneumatic presses. To keep the fruit well protected from oxidation, dry ice is used and the juices are kept cold on lees for a few days to promote aromatic expression. In this search for aromatic purity, the wines go through a low temperature fermentation for 1 to 2 weeks, before aging on fine lees in concrete vats for 2 to 3 months. According to each batch, a regular batonnage twice a week on average is carried out.