Winemaker Notes
The grapes used to produce the Pavillon Rouge 2019 were carefully selected and represent only 27% of the harvest. The wine has body with a soft tannin structure and is remarkably balanced on the palate. It would probably have formed an integral part of the assemblage of our Grands Vins two decades ago. In our vineyards and cellars, we make the same painstaking effort to produce the batches used for the Pavillon Rouge as we do for our Grand Vin. Both wines undoubtedly have the same style, and some of the same aromas. One almost indefinable detail is sometimes missing, which means the batch is not included in the composition of the Grand Vin.
Blend: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Succulent and gorgeous with such supple tannins, yet it’s full bodied and very rich. It’s very savory, too. Dense, yet polished on the palate, showing fresh, minerally and salty notes. You want to drink it already. 27% of the crop and a blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon and 19% merlot, the rest petit verdot and cabernet franc.
Barrel Sample:96-97 -
Wine Enthusiast
This is a ripe, deliciously juicy wine that is balanced by plenty of structure and spice. The pure black currant fruits are already impressive, giving a fine line of freshness that's allied with richness.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge is absolutely brilliant, and jaw dropping stuff as a second wine. Deep purple-hued with a beautiful bouquet of ripe red and black fruits as well as sandalwood, spice, and tobacco, it's medium to full-bodied, has polished, seamless tannins, great overall balance, and a stunning finish. It has more than a little Château Margaux class, and while it’s already impossible to resist, it has another 20-25 years of longevity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Given that Margaux's second wine contains plenty of fruit that made it into the grand vin just a decade or two ago, great things are to be expected from this bottling. Yet I was nonetheless taken aback by the quality of the 2019 Pavillon Rouge. Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums and cherries mingled with rose petals and sweet spices, it's medium to full-bodied, sensual and concentrated, with beautifully refined tannins, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. This is an exquisite Pavillon Rouge that is well worth seeking out. I confess that I don't buy many second wines, but I did purchase a case of this, with alacrity, right after tasting it. Best after 2025.
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Decanter
Packed with spice and fruit on the nose, this grips you and lifts off. A great mid palate with juicy, enrobed tannins and seductive fleshy fruit in the mouth. Makes you smile, enticingly creamy and yet with sappy slate on the finish. One of the best Pavillon Rouge for years. 27% of overall production in Pavillon. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend.
Barrel Sample: 94 -
Wine Spectator
Delivers a gorgeous velvety mouthfeel, with cassis, warmed plum and blackberry preserve flavors infused with black tea and incense. Features a fresh minerality that echoes through the suave finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now.
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.