Records show that the Marbuzet estate belonged to a certain Syvestre Fatin in 1770, and that he left estate to his two daughters. It was acquired by the Mc Carthy family, Irish Jacobites, in 1825 and later divided the land into 12 parts. In 1952, Hervé Duboscq bought a 7-hectare plot known as Haut-Marbuzet and began making wine there. He was joined by his son Henri in 1962. They gradually re-constructed the original domaine by buying up the surrounding plots, completing their purchases with the purchase of another estate, Château McCarthy in 1988. Today, the total size of the estate is 65 hectares and the second wine of Haut Marbuzet is marketed under the Château McCarthy label.
Located a stone's throw from the Gironde Estuary, the vines (30 years old on average) are planted on gravelly rises named Marbuzet, Long Treytin, Le Puy, and Lalande de Marbuis. The vines sink their roots deep into Günz gravel on a thick layer of clay-limestone soil. The grape varieties are 50% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet-Franc. Total annual production amounts to around 30,00 cases a year.
The grapes are hand-picked a peak ripeness, completely destemmed, and fermented in concrete or oak vats depending on the variety. Only indigenous yeasts are used. Maceration lasts for around six weeks, with daily pumping over.
Haut Marbuzet is aged in 100% new oak barrels every year. The degree of toasting depends on the vintage. The wine is regularly topped up, and racked every three months until bottling.
Henri Duboscq noticed in the 60s that oak from the Tronçais and Jupilles forests gave his wines a distinctive elegance and smoothness. This led him to begin using entirely new barrels, which has become one of the hallmarks of Haut-Marbuzet. This gives the wine considerable charm and attenuates some of the masculine Saint-Estèphe characteristics. Haut-Marbuzet is well-balanced and fine for early drinking.
