Château Marquis d'Alesme
Established by the Marquis d'Alesme in 1585, the estate was originally planted in 1616. The property was acquired in 1809 by Monsieur Becker, who attached his name to that of the estate, and for a period the wine was called simply "Becker" in Bordeaux. In the early 20th Century, the property was bought by Comte Jean-Jules Théophile Chaix-d'Est-Ange, who had also inherited neighbouring Château Lascombes from his father, who intended to combine the two estates, but died in 1923 before carrying out the plan. The original Marquis d'Alesme château became offices for Lascombes, with the original château of Desmirail taking its place. The estate saw a succession of owners, including English firm WH Chaplin & Co and the Zuger family, until it was sold in 2006 to petrochemical industry businessman Hubert Perrodo . Apparently with elaborate plans of combining several of his Margaux estates, no changes took place after Perrodo was killed in a skiing accident in late 2006. The estate is currently run by Nathalie Perrodo.
As a renaissance, this tops the bill. The 15ha third growth, originally known as Marquis d'Alesme Becker, was slumbering in mediocrity until acquired by businessman Hubert Perrodo in 2006. His subsequent death left the management of the estate in the hands of his daughter, Nathalie, and since then a metamorphosis has been underway. The vineyard in Margaux (neighbours include Margaux, Rauzan-Ségla and Ferrière) is being steadily restructured, an experienced technical team put in place, and an architecturally ambitious cellar (designed with Chinese and European influences) is due for completion in the village itself. Expect to find improved finesse from 2012. Decanter Magazine (May 2015)