2003 Chateau Durfort-Vivens Margaux 750 ml

Lucien Lurton became a Bordeaux tycoon by snapping up chateaux in the 1960s and 70s at the absolute bottom of the market. By the time he decided to break up his fiefdom, in 1992, it was one of the region’s richest.

The patriarch convened his many children in order to distribute his 11 estates, asking each to write down their first, second, and third choices. Margaux Second Growth Brane-Cantenac was up for grabs. So were Sauternes icon Château Climens, Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Clos Fourtet, Third Growth Château Desmirail, and Lurton’s other world-class properties. 

The children listed their preferences, and when it came time for Lucien’s son Gonzague to reveal his, he threw down an ultimatum. 

1. Durfort-Vivens
2. Durfort-Vivens
3. Durfort-Vivens

Give me Château Durfort-Vivens, Gonzague demanded, or I will have nothing to do with the wine business. 

Gonzague Lurton’s passion for Durfort-Vivens, cultivated since childhood, was one of the first things we thought of when we tasted the marvelous 2003. Grown a decade after Lurton dedicated himself to the château and just two years before legendary NY Times writer Frank Prial said it “can compete with Bordeaux’s best,” it’s a stunning bottle that encompasses the history of a revered Margaux Second Growth, the acumen of a celebrated Bordeaux family, and the fervor of a vintner who didn’t just know the estate’s potential—he realized it. 

After two decades in the cool Durfort-Vivens cellar, this wine is showing beautifully. It’s not every day we get to taste a two-decade-aged Cru Classé Margaux, let alone bring one home for our members. We scored just ten cases of this beautiful bottle, and it’s absolutely perfect for the Bordeaux-lover who adores an aged wine.