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  • January 2018 (Revised October 2021)
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Château Margaux: Launching the Third Wine (Abridged)

By: Elie Ofek
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:18
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Abstract

Château Margaux, one of only five prestigious estates in the Bordeaux Medoc wine region to have been classified as a "first-growth", is facing a host of strategic decisions in early 2013. Up until this point the estate had been selling two red wines, a first wine whose retail price often exceeded $1000 a bottle, and a second wine whose retail price often exceeded $200 a bottle. Owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos and her management team were now preparing to launch a new third wine made from the estate's production not used to make the first two. They have to decide whether the best go-to-market strategy is to sell the third wine to the local Bordeaux merchants and relinquish commercialization to them or to devise a complete marketing plan for the new wine that includes: target market selection, positioning, quantity to release, pricing, channel structure and brand name. Mentzelopoulos was considering the optimal marketing for the third wine in light of moves by other first-growths, such as purchase of vineyards in the Bordeaux region, selling mass-market wines, and global expansion.

Keywords

New Product Launch; Marketing Plan; Brand Management; Go To Market Strategy; Channels Of Distribution; Wine Industry; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; France

Citation

Ofek, Elie. "Château Margaux: Launching the Third Wine (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 518-070, January 2018. (Revised October 2021.)
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About The Author

Elie Ofek

Marketing
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Related Work

    • January 2018 (Revised October 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    Château Margaux: Launching the Third Wine (Abridged)

    By: Elie Ofek
Related Work
  • Château Margaux: Launching the Third Wine (Abridged) By: Elie Ofek
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