When Hervé Duboscq bought a vineyard in Saint-Estèphe in 1952, on this gravelly terroir overlooking the Gironde, he had one conviction: he would make a very great wine from Haut-Marbuzet…
By Xavier Aubercy
We all have our Proust’s madeleine. This gustatory memory of an intense moment of pleasure shared with someone you love. For me, it was a moment with my father, tasting an elegant and complex 1990 Haut Marbuzet.
In 1952, Hervé Duboscq bought a vineyard on a magnificent terroir that “looks out over the Gironde“. He knew from day one that his gravelly clay-limestone soils, flirting with those of his illustrious neighbor Chateau Montrose – Second Cru Classé of 1855 – would make a great wine. For more than half a century, with his son Henri – and his sons today – he enlarged, replanted, improved and above all loved his plots of land in order to reconstitute exactly the historic Mac-Carthy estate. They will create a name internationally recognized by wine lovers around the world. I remember the great American critic Robert Parker who, on a great vintage, described this wine as “the most sensual of Bordeaux”.
“Quality is my truth” is the magnificent motto of this 65-hectare estate, which in itself sums up the spirit of profound humanity that can be found in each of its bottles. Of course, we could describe Haut-Marbuzet as the still independent village of Asterix, surrounded by all these domains bought by big financial groups and their captains of industry. Of course, we could talk about its manual harvesting; its blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc; its fermentation temperatures as high as possible or its long maceration periods which contribute to its texture; the particular care taken in the choice of its new barrels from the French forests of Tronçais and Nivernais; its 18 to 22 months maturation period; its long classification as an exceptional Cru Bourgeois even if many tasters consider it to be at the level of a 3rd, 4th or 5th Grand Cru Classé of 1855… In short, all these points that contribute to give it its unique personality. However, it is especially the family dimension of this exploitation which deserves to be put forward, in order to show how much, here, the wine is made with heart and soul by a great lord of the soil.
Even if, in general, it can be drunk quite quickly, a Haut Marbuzet deserves to be waited for about ten years. It is self-sufficient, moreover, with good and beautiful company and a simple dish such as grilled meat from local breeds such as the Bazadaise or the Blonde d’Aquitaine. I have known this house for 30 years. I had the chance to taste the fabulous 1982 with its fruit and ripe grapes, the unforgettable 1990 so full, so long, or the marvelous 2005 with its silky tannins and sweet spice flavors… And this is what we can wish to the wine lover: the same joys of being able to taste one or the other vintage – 2014, 2015 and 2016 are a magnificent trio. And, why not, go all the way here to meet a real winemaker who will speak with passion about his 60 years of harvesting…
