Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Shows incredible depth and power with near perfect Margaux character of black fruits and power. Full body, very tannic yet polished and refined. It’s like the gran vin but in a year like 2006 or 2007. Best ever.
Barrel Sample: 95-96 Points -
Wine Enthusiast
With a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a seriously structured wine. It is ripe with a shot of fine acidity and tannins that give the wine great shape and freshness. The structure is what will give this wine its longevity.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 Points -
Jeb Dunnuck
The second wine of the estate is the 2015 Pavillon Rouge and its 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc raised in 60% new French oak. It’s a sensational wine in its own right, offering smokin’ good notes of crème de cassis, blueberries, toasted spices and ample minerality. Rich, full-bodied, opulent and concentrated with notable tannin, give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, which represents just 23% of the total production this year, has a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than other years, 74%, with 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It has a very refined bouquet, focused and extraordinarily pure with blackcurrant, blueberry and minerals. The 50% new oak is beautifully integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a little more masculine than I was expecting, a Pavillon with firm structure imparted by that higher proportion of Cabernet. But the freshness is ample and there is a long, satisfying graphite note that seems to last forever on the finish. What a great deuxième vin, a stunning Pavillon Rouge.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 Points -
Decanter
Wonderfully floral nose, beautiful texture and pure natural vineyard extraction that shows the feminine side of Margaux to perfection. Slightly austere tannins now but a fine future. The team think this is the best Pavillon Rouge they have ever made.
Barrel Sample.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.