Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Extremely perfumed rose-petal, lead-pencil and dark-bark aromas follow through to a medium to full body with crunchy, juicy tannins and a creamy, polished texture. Deep, long and flavorful. One of the best Pavillon Rouges in a while. A blend of 79% cabernet sauvignon, 14% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 2% cabernet franc. Drink after 2027.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Deep purple-hued, the 2023 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge offers gorgeous crème de cassis, spring flowers, graphite, and spicy wood-driven aromatics. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, remarkably pure, and has ripe, round, polished tannins as well as ample mid-palate depth. Based on 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc and aged 20 months in 60% new oak, the quality of this cuvée has skyrocketed with the addition of the third wine and more of the Cabernet Sauvignon going into this bottling. It can be enjoyed today with incredible pleasure, yet I'd be shocked if this didn't keep for three decades.
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Decanter
Subtle aromatics, dried flowers, pot pourri, rose, blackcurrant and raspberry. Deep purple colour to the rim, vibrant but intense, some graphite and herbal Cabernet notes on the nose too. Bright and sharp, quite linear and a touch austere at this point, lean and straight - well defined and focussed with lovely fruit intensity and purity. Not fleshy, but there's lots of energy and precision to this. Very classic and will round out nicely. 14% press wine. 60% new oak. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 68 IPT, 3.6pH, 30% second wine production.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
Vinous
The 2023 Pavillon Rouge is a deep, intense wine. Bright acids drive a core of dark red-toned fruit, spice and flowers. There's a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, which makes structural elements stand out, but the tannins are on the lower side analytically. I would give this a few years to come together. Pavillon Rouge represents 30% of the château's production. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 90-93 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Pavillon Rouge, which incorporates the highest percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon since 2016, opens in the glass with notes of sweet cherries and raspberries mingled with rose, violet and cigar wrapper. Medium-bodied, supple and lively, it's framed by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully chalky finish.
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.