France, Bordeaux

Château Marquis de Terme was once part of an enormous estate that took in Rauzan-Segla, Rauzan-Gassies and Desmirail too, but by the time François de Peguilham Marquis de Terme came to own it in 1762 the estate had broken up into the four constituents we know today. The Marquis gave his name to the estate, an aristocratic name that survived the Revolution. Along the way, Thomas Jefferson came to visit and praised the wines in his diary. At the 1855 classification, Marquis de Terme was awarded 4th Growth status. Marquis de Terme was purchased, in 1935, by the Sénéclauze family who own it today. Château Marquis de Terme sits in the village of Margaux, with Durfort-Vivens next door and the two Rauzans immediately to its south. Of the 39.5ha of vineyard, 60% are Cabernet Sauvignon all planted on fairly typical Médoc gravel soil, whilst the more clay parts of the estate are given over to Merlot, with a small planting of Petit Verdot. Vines average around 35 years old. Ever with an eye to the future, Marquis de Terme have been experimenting with organic viticulture; and they age a small proportion of their wine in concrete “eggs” to achieve the benefits of wood ageing without the wood.