Château Marojallia: Vineyards
While this estate was sold in 2023 (the final vintage being 2022) the wines of Château Marojallia will no doubt remain in the market for many years. This profile will thus remain online, an account of life in the vineyard and cellars of this relatively short-lived name in Margaux.
To catch a glimpse of the original Marojallia vineyard is not too difficult. Heading north along the D2, towards the village of Margaux, this vineyard is on the left-hand side of the road, a last flourish of lush green vines before you enter the built-up village, crammed as it is with cellars, châteaux, wine stores, restaurants and one or two hotels. The vineyard thus neighbours many of the top names of the Margaux appellation; Château Rauzan-Ségla is just around the corner in one direction, while on the other side of the road are the vineyards of Château Margaux and those of Château Palmer are not too far away. These original Marojallia vines sit behind some rather neat cast-iron railings, painted white (last time I looked, anyway), which run between multiple square-built stone posts with very crisp lines. Indeed, the whole estate looks immaculate.
Under Porcheron the vineyard was still tended as if it were a garden, although as you might guess since Philippe’s acquisition in 1999 he purchased more vines elsewhere, and thus this vineyard eventually accounted for about half of the Marojallia estate. In the end there were 6 hectares of vines, the growth coming with the acquisition of other parcels, including some young vines in Soussans, as well as a 0.5-hectare parcel of vines near the cellars in Margaux. The vineyard was planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, at densities up to 10,000 vines per hectare, and the work in the vines was conventional, rather than organic or biodynamic.
