LeDomduVin: Domaine de L'Île Margaux

Domaine de L'Île Margaux

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Trade fair for a few hours. 

Toward the end of the day, after having visited and tasted wines from Germany and Spain and then indulged a little in the Japan Sake Pavillon and the Mauritius Rums Pavillon, I was wandering around the French wines section to try to find one last wine before leaving the fair (as it was already nearly 6 p.m. and I had to go shortly after). 

It would have been easy for me to taste some wines I already knew, as many booths bore names I'm very familiar with, but I wanted to discover something new. Probably bored for some and almost annoyed for some others (or both), some people behind their booth were looking at me while I was passing by, and more especially at my badge stating in big letters "BUYER." 

"Buyer" means "Business" for them, as most participants are here, at the fair, to find new opportunities to place their wines (and spirits), but I'm not easy to convince. The eyes' language says it all: look at me with an inviting smile and I might come to taste your wines (whether I will like them or not is a different matter), but continue to look at me with these bored, almost annoyed eyes, and you can be sure I will keep on walking and totally ignore you, your booth and your wines. 

It might be mean, but put yourself in my shoes. How would you react when having to choose between someone happy to promote his/her wine(s) with a smiley face and someone with a frowny face, obviously unhappy or tired of being here? To me, a smile goes a long way.   

So, I was walking the aisles, looking at the booth's names, when suddenly my eyes stumbled upon "Domaine de l'Ile Margaux". I recently discovered this Domaine via Facebook and Instagram and even started to follow them, yet I never tried their wines. In fact, I began to follow them, not because of their wines, but because of their photos and posts, which are usually good and often intriguing, artistic in a way, and triggered my interest more than once. Now that I was standing in front of their booth, it was a good opportunity to taste their wines.  

It's funny to realize that most people befriend others on social media without knowing them and rarely, or never, meet them in real life. Well, this was a good occasion to contradict that fact, get more acquainted with this particular Domaine, and meet with a member of the family who runs it.     

Behind the booth stood a tall, thin, blondish, mid-long-haired, bearded, smiley, and seemingly sympathetic young man, Pierre Favarel, whom I recognized immediately from pictures and posts I had seen previously. We introduced ourselves, exchanged cards, and the conversation started. 

Pierre Favarel of Domaine de l'Ile Margaux
at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits
Photo by ©LeDomduVin 2018

Pierre's Parents purchased the whole Island of Margaux in 2001, and Pierre has gradually invested his time and himself in promoting and marketing his family's wines worldwide. Although Pierre lives in Paris, he is nowadays going to the family's estate more frequently. Not having studied agriculture, viticulture, or oenology, Pierre slowly learns by watching the "vignerons" and participating as often as possible in the main events (harvest, fermentation, aging in barrels, etc.).   

I don't know about you, but frankly, before this impromptu tasting, despite having read a little about it and seen some pictures on the internet and social media, I knew nothing about Domaine de l'Ile Margaux. 

In fact, Pierre told me that this Domaine had always been very discreet and had never been heavily promoted. At his wife's suggestion, Pierre recently opened a few pages on several social media sites to build a follow-up and increase the brand's visibility, along with the tastings and events he participates in. Although more and more efforts are being made to make the name (or brand) known and recognized, I think many people don't know that this Domaine even exists (even in Bordeaux). 

So I decided to write this post as a small contribution to help increase their visibility. My blog exceeds thousands of views every week, so some of my readers may likely be interested in reading about this underrated domaine producing wine in the most atypical environment of the Bordeaux region.    

Satellite view of the Gironde Estuary Islands courtesy of www.google.com/maps/
with Island names added by ©LeDomduVin 2018

When talking about people who do not know this Domaine, take a guy like me, for example: born in Bordeaux, grandson of a winemaker from the Cotes de Bourg, who spent his childhood in a small village called "Comps," only a few kilometers away from the Gironde Esturay and roughly facing right across the Island of Margaux on the other side of the Gironde (see map above), I had never really heard anything about "L'Île Margaux" (Margaux Island), let alone the presence of a winery on it. 

Although I have looked at this island from far away (*), countless times in my life (especially when I was young while biking around the right banks of the Dordogne River and the Gironde Estuary), I never realized wine was produced on it. And I never heard of the name of this Domaine in my 27 years working in the wine and spirits world on 3 continents until a few months ago.   

So, let's discover this Domaine together... 

L'Île Margaux 

L'Ile Margaux - Photo Courtesy of www.estuaire-gironde.fr

Location

Part of the commune of Margaux, "L'île Margaux", commonly called that way in the wine world, but officially called "île de la Tour-de-Mons" (or even "île de la Tour du Mont"), is one of the islands of the Gironde Estuary, located between the left river bank of the Gironde (near the vines of Chateau Margaux) and a very long island formed of several Islands attached to each other ("Ile de Macau", "Ile du Nord", "Ile Verte", etc... see maps below), forming a river arm called the "Macau Arm", prolonging the Garonne estuary and giving into the Gironde. 

Satellite view of "L'Ile de Margaux" and surrounding Islands courtesy of www.google.com/maps/
with Island names added by ©LeDomduVin 2018

History

Vines have been planted on the Island since the 18th century, and in 1855, during the Bordeaux Classification, the vineyard of Ile Margaux was part of Chateau Margaux's property.   

In 1999, the island was flooded after the storm, and it was believed to have been lost. But thanks to its owner, Gérard Favarel (Pierre's father), who bought it in 2001, the island survived and experienced a true renaissance.  

Since the beginning of the 21st century, L'Ile Margaux has been engaged in an ambitious sustainable development of the estuary, coastal agriculture based on environmental quality. (*)  

The organic certification (AB - Agriculture Biologique) process was initiated in 2011, and the vineyard has been certified organic since 2015. (*)

Domaine de l'Ile Margaux Vineyard and Cellars - Photo courtesy of www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk

Geography, Climate, and Vineyard

The Margaux island is about one kilometer long and 300 meters wide (at its widest). Its surface area is about 20 hectares (roughly 50 acres), of which 14 hectares are planted with vines at about 1.5 meters below sea level, protected by the trees and the levees/dikes surrounding the island.

The island encompasses about 365 varieties of fruit trees, forming a natural barrier protecting the embankment from the passing Garonne river, which lends its rhythm to this natural oasis. 

Benefiting from a micro-climate regulated and tempered by the mass of water of both the Garonne and Gironde estuaries,  and from a location allowing for plenty of winds favorable to dry up the vineyard from the constant humidity in the air,  the island is unfortunately also subject to the tidal range of the river, which can sometimes exceed about 4 meters (between the low tide and high tide) and overflow the levees (or dikes) surrounding the island, thus occasionally flooding the vineyard planted about 1.5 meters below sea level.

The vineyard is about 35 years old on average and is planted with a density of 5,000 to 6,200 vines per hectare, depending on the area of the island.

The Favarel family does not live on the island all year long, but they often come to participate in the main phases of the wine production and attend most major events. The work in the vineyard and at the cellar is done by a local, a "vigneron" tending the vineyard and helping with the winemaking, who lives on the island.

Pierre (and his wife) live in Paris and are in charge of marketing and promoting the wines. However, as stated earlier, not having studied agriculture, viticulture, or oenology, Pierre has to leave the French capital more frequently nowadays to go to the island, where he is slowly learning by watching the "vigneron" and participating as often as he can in the main events (harvest, fermentation, aging in barrels, etc.).

Type of Soil

Ile Margaux has a special hydrogeological structure: a gradual sedimentation of blue clay and sand layers, alternatively hydrated and drained four times a day, following the tides' rhythm and providing permanent protection to the vines against heat and water stress or excess.

Grape Varieties

The vineyard of Domaine de l'Ile Margaux is planted with 5 grape varieties, which confer complexity, texture, and structure to the wines:

• Merlot (45%)
• Cabernet Sauvignon (20%)
• Petit Verdot (15%)
• Cabernet Franc (10%)
• Malbec (10%)

Vinification, Ageing, and Production

After the manual harvest, the wines are vinified according to traditional Bordeaux methods, gradually incorporating modern oenology technologies  (temperature management, cold maceration, etc). The wine is then aged between 12 and 18 months in oak barrels (depending on the quality of the vintage and the time the wine will need to arrive at the desired taste and style), with a third being new barrels and two-thirds a mix of 1 and 2-year barrels. Bottling is done on site, and the annual production varies between 80 and 90000 bottles a year. Certified organic since 2015.   

Oenotourism

To encourage people to better know the wines of the Domaine and the Domaine itself, a guided tour of the estate, the cellar, and a walk around the whole island among the vineyard and fruit trees, followed by a tasting of the wines, is available. Send an email to Pierre Favarel at p.favarel@bordemer.net for more details. I guess the short boat trip from the riverbank on the Margaux side to Margaux Island can only add to a thrilling and adventurous experience.

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So, here you are. Now you know a little more about Domaine de l'Ile Margaux. Well, learning about the Domaine is a good thing, but how did the wines taste? (I can hear you say...). 

Pierre was now boasting a Taxi Driver's Robert De Niro face-like ("You talkin' to me?"). And personally, I could not wait to taste his wines.  

Pierre Favarel of Domaine de l'Ile Margaux
at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits
Photo by ©LeDomduVin 2018

Tasting Domaine de L'Ile Margaux Wines

Pierre had three vintages to taste: 2015, 2007, and 2000. He explained that he and his family were very proud of the 2015 vintage, not only because it is a good vintage but also because it is their first certified organic vintage. And he made me taste it first.


Domaine de l'Ile Margaux "Bordeaux des Iles" (AB - Agriculture Biologique), AOC Bordeaux Superieur, 2015

Estimated Retail price between 185 - 235 HKD (20-26 Euros)

My god, what a very pleasant surprise!!! The robe was bright, medium to deep, with good intensity. The nose was quite expressive, fragrant, delicate, and inviting. The palate was impressive, harmonious, balanced, soft, well-rounded, and textured, relatively long and well structured. Nothing over the top, but just very pleasant and satisfying, gentle and inoffensive, nor aggressive. Everything in this wine was quite suave and integrated already despite its youth. Yet, it showed good potential to be cellared for a few more years before being fully mature and delivering its true flavors. Highly recommended.

It was so good to my palate and felt so much like a Margaux wine, that a few questions immediately came to my mind:

• First, why have I never really heard about or even tasted this wine before? 
• Secondly, how could a wine made on an island surrounded by muddy waters and constantly exposed to humidity in the soil and air be so good?
• Thirdly, is it me, or is this wine an undiscovered fantastic value for money?

I guess its proximity to Chateau Margaux, its soil composition of layers of Peebles, clay, and sand as well as the interesting blend of grape varieties including the unusually high percentage of Petit Verdot (about 15%), which normally never exceeding 5% wherever it still exists and whenever it is still used in other Chateaux, must have something to do with it. (***)



Domaine de l'Ile Margaux "Bordeaux des Iles" (AB - Agriculture Biologique), AOC Bordeaux Superieur, 2000

Estimated Retail price between 210 - 250 HKD (24-28 Euros)

The 2000 vintage shows evolved aromas on the nose, more autumnal notes like mushroom, underbrush, earth, and slightly toasted nuances. The palate was still alive, soft and supple, lighter and less extracted than the 2015 vintage (which is perfectly normal with 18 years of age), yet showed good concentration and structure still, in a soft and delicate way, but still present and fairly long somehow. Honestly, I was not expecting much and even thought that it could have been gone by now, but I was wrong; it was still alive and kicking. Another very pleasant surprise, especially when considering an 18-year-old Bordeaux Supérieur from a relatively unknown vineyard planted on an island. Definitely recommended.

Pierre told me that he and his family were very proud of this wine, as it was their first vintage (they bought the property in 2001). Although they did not participate in doing the harvest, they did part of the vinification and supervised the aging of the wine in oak barrels. The first vintage is always sentimental.


Domaine de l'Ile Margaux "Bordeaux des Iles" (AB - Agriculture Biologique), AOC Bordeaux Superieur, 2007

Estimated Retail price between 220 - 235 HKD (24-26 Euros)

I tasted the 2007 vintage last and was definitely not expecting anything from this particular wine, as 2007 was a difficult vintage overall in Bordeaux, which I did not like in its youth. Yet, I recently tasted some 2007 wines that have evolved and aged quite well in the bottle, rounding some tannins that were rough and even slightly green in their youth and becoming more harmonious as time passed. And this particular 2007 was probably one of those, as it confused me by its softness and easy drinkability. Nothing of the harshness I was anticipating. The fruit was still present and really enjoyable. The palate felt a little short compared to the 2000, and more especially the 2015 vintage, but not by far.

Conclusion

Tasting these 3 vintages side by side, I could see a pattern, a style, the Domaine's footprint was definitely showing. And to my surprise (again..?!?), they all had this elegance and delicate softness often associated with Margaux wines as well as this indescribable Margaux taste and feel in the palate. In fact, they tasted so good and so Margaux-like to my palate that if tasted blind, in a Margaux wine tasting, I'm sure that one could definitely mistake them with more glorious Margaux Chateaux, which, at 20-25 Euros a bottle, makes them an even greater value for money in my opinion (more especially that the Domaine de l'Ile Margaux wines are "only" AOC Bordeaux Superieur, not AOC Margaux, but from what I tasted, they have nothing to envy their neighbor (****). 

I recommend that you discover and keep an eye on this up-and-coming Domaine producing elegant, structured, and textured wines, which were already good but can only get better now that they are certified organic. A delightful discovery.



And this is how I ended up discovering Domaine de l'Ile Margaux, a Bordeaux Supérieur that tastes like a Margaux with an excellent ratio value for money (in my opinion) and definitely a winery to keep an eye on.

Pierre Favarel of Domaine de l'Ile Margaux and
LeDomduVin a.k.a. Dominique Noel
at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits
Photo by ©LeDomduVin 2018

That's all, folks, for today! I hope you will try to find these wines and buy a bottle to taste them and form your opinion. Maybe you can leave me your comments below and let me know if I was right or wrong about the quality of these wines.

Sante! Cheers!

LeDomduVin a.k.a. Dominique Noel

(*) If you are on the right bank, on the road between Bourg-sur-Gironde and Blaye, drive on the scenic road that goes along the Dordogne river, until you reach the terrace of Chateau Tayac (near Bayon) overlooking the Bec d'Ambes (where the Dordogne and Garonne rivers meet to become the Gironde Estuary), and if you look to your right while still looking at the opposite side of the Gironde, pass L'Île de Macau / L'Île du Nord, you might see a little bit of L'Île Margaux. If you drive a little further north, to the "Rigalet", from the vineyard on the plateau above it, you might also see L'Île Margaux. 

(**) Info taken and/or partly taken from www.bordemer.net (BORDEMER was created in 2003, to promote the valuation and trading of the best products of the coastal agriculture, particularly the wine from the Margaux island.

Most info provided during my discussion with and by Pierre Favarel and/or sourced mainly from www.bordemer.net, and/or www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk, and/or www.estuaire-gironde.fr

(***) Most Chateaux in Bordeaux do not possess Petit Verdot anymore as it is an awkward, late ripening grape variety with low yield, and therefore difficult to grow and maintain, and not commercial or lucrative enough... (too bad, as it is a good addition for the texture and structure of the wine generally...)

(****) Personally, I have always thought that Margaux is a difficult appellation as there is a huge gap in quality and inconsistencies between the Chateaux' styles and tastes. And among the 5 most prestigious Appellations of the Haut-Médoc (Margaux, Moulis-Listrac, Saint-Julien, Pauillac and Saint-Estephe), despite a few usual suspects like Chateau Margaux (and I hear you say ..."...but of course"... yet again not every vintage) as well as Chateau Palmer (definitely Palmer...), and maybe Giscours and Du Tertre (and there again, not every vintage for both), I must admit that Margaux is usually my least favorite, as it always feels to me like the less homogeneous. (Once again, I won't make friends by writing things like this....sigh...but I can't deny my feelings and I have never been an "ass-kisser" either... so there it is, I have said it!)

©LeDomduVin 2018

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