How to pronounce Margaux

What is Margaux?

A commune in Bordeaux known for perfumed and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines.

Margaux is a village on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of the city of Bordeaux, and the name of the appellation around it. Since 2017 the village has been part of the merged commune of Margaux-Cantenac. The appellation also takes in the neighboring villages of Cantenac, Soussans, Labarde and Arsac. It is the southernmost of the village appellations of the Médoc.

The wines are red blends led by Cabernet Sauvignon, usually with Merlot and often small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The soils are thin and very gravelly, which drains well. Margaux is known for a perfumed aroma, with blackcurrant as the main fruit, and is usually described as one of the more fragrant and elegant wines of the Médoc.

The appellation holds 21 estates from the 1855 classification of Bordeaux. One of them, Château Margaux, is a first growth and shares its name with the village. That matters when you buy: a label that says Margaux alone means any wine from the appellation, while Château Margaux is one specific estate. Its dry white, Pavillon Blanc, is sold as Bordeaux, because the Margaux appellation covers red wine.

Margaux, syllable by syllable

Why Margaux is hard to say

French spells the oh sound several ways, and au is one of them. Add a silent final x and you get aux, four letters in Margaux that carry a single vowel. Bordeaux ends the same way, with eaux for the same oh, and Meursault does it with ault. When a French wine name ends in aux, eaux or ault, expect it to end in oh.

The g is hard because it comes before a. French g only softens to a zh sound before e, i or y. Stress is the other difference: French puts the beat on the last sounded syllable, so the weight falls on GOH, as it does on the last syllable of Bordeaux and Pauillac.

Tips for saying it

Saying Margaux when you buy wine

In English you will also hear the stress moved to the front, MAR-goh. It is widely understood, so use whichever feels natural, and keep the ending a clean oh. To avoid confusion, say whether you mean a wine from the appellation or the estate Château Margaux, since staff may assume either.

• “Do you have a Margaux that is ready to drink now?” Asks for any wine from the appellation.
• “I'd like to compare a Margaux with a Pauillac.” Two Médoc villages that are often tasted side by side.
• “Is this from Château Margaux or just the Margaux appellation?”

Names often confused with Margaux

• Bordeaux (bor-DOH): The wider region that contains Margaux, and a name with the same silent x and oh ending.
• Pauillac (poh-YAK): Another Médoc village appellation farther north, where the au is again oh but the final c is sounded.
• Cabernet Sauvignon (kab-er-NAY so-vin-YAWN): The main grape in Margaux blends, though the label names the village and not the variety.
• Meursault (mur-SOH): A white Burgundy village whose ault ending is the same oh sound as the aux in Margaux.

Questions about pronouncing Margaux

How do you pronounce Margaux?

Margaux is pronounced mar-GOH in French: a short first syllable like the start of market, then a stressed second syllable that sounds like the word go. The x is silent. In English it is often heard with the stress on the first syllable, which is also understood.

Is the x silent in Margaux?

Yes. The final x is not sounded, and the letters aux together make one oh sound. The same thing happens at the end of Bordeaux. There is no ks or s sound anywhere in the word.

Is it mar-GOH or MAR-goh?

The native French form is mar-GOH, with the beat on the last syllable, as in most French words. English speakers often say MAR-goh, the way the given name Margot is commonly said. Both are understood in a shop or restaurant. The vowels and the silent x stay the same either way.

What is the difference between Margaux and Château Margaux?

Margaux is a village and an appellation in the Médoc with many producers, including 21 estates from the 1855 classification. Château Margaux is a single estate inside it, ranked as a first growth. A bottle labeled Margaux can come from any producer in the appellation.

What kind of wine is Margaux?

Margaux is a red Bordeaux, blended mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and smaller amounts of other Bordeaux grapes. It comes from gravelly soils on the left bank of the Gironde and is known for a perfumed aroma with blackcurrant fruit.

Sources: Dictionary.com: Margaux, Wikipedia: Margaux AOC, Wikipedia: Château Margaux. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.