Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux 2023

Some people are drawn to wines for their stories.  They believe the tales associated with each vintage are just as important as the contents inside each bottle.   If you love a good comeback story as much as a good bottle of wine, you will love Château Margaux. Pavillon Rouge is the second wine of Château Margaux.  Approachable even when still young, yet with cellaring potential.  A perfect companion wine to drink while letting the grand vin Château Margaux to cellar for decades to come.

The history of Château Margaux is one of innovation and countless winemaking “firsts.”  In the 17th Century, the château was the first to consider terroir’s effect on certain varietals and vinifying white and red grapes separately.  Château Margaux also pioneered “night picking,” the practice of picking grapes later in the day to get the fullest, most concentrated expression of fruit.  The château was rightfully designated a Ffirst Ggrowth in the 1855 Classification -- the only estate to receive a perfect score of 20/20.  

During the economic crisis of Bordeaux in the 1960s and 1970s, Château Margaux suffered due to mismanagement and financial constraints.  Its name was tarnished and was for sale for over two years before its was acquired by André Mentzelopoulos, a Greek supermarket magnet who fell in love with the gorgeous Neoclassical architecture of the estate.  After his passing in 1980, his French-born and educated daughter, Corinne, inherited the estate and proceeded to make substantial improvements to the property.  

Initially, Corinne worked with the general manager already in place.  In 1983, she appointed the young professional Paul Pontallier as general manager to lead new efforts to renovate the vineyard.  Paul led the construction of a new cellar.  He was general manager for over 30 years until his premature death from cancer.  The last vintage Paul supervised, the vintage of 2015, became the most storied vintage in Chateau Margaux’s recent history.  It garnered 100 pts, a perfect score, from influential critics.

Château Margaux currently hosts 192.7 acres of vines that are on average 35 years old.  It produces roughly 400,000 bottles of wine a year.  The vineyards are painstakingly tended to by hand, and the grapes that go into the Grand Vin are organically farmed.  Red varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc are planted on the white gravely soil.  Château Margaux also produces one of the most well-respected white wines in the entire Médoc -- Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux.  This enchanting stunner is composed of entirely 100% Sauvignon Blanc and dazzles with its fruity depth and subtly herbal, oaky qualities.

Château Margaux produces some of the most ravishing, multidimensionally rich and balanced wines in all of Bordeaux.  They are known for their sensuously opulent bouquets of black currents, violets, and spicy vanilla.

During the 1980s, many claimed that the best wine in all of Bordeaux was from Château Margaux and these claims were not unfounded.  Curiosity is integral to the spirit of Château Margaux – and those in charge have learned from past issues that in the pursuit of sustained excellence, complacency is not an option.  The story of Château Margaux is of redemption, and proof that with determination and efforts, one can bounce back from struggle.  

"Peach, apricot, nectarine, white chocolate, smells a little lemongrass and yoghurt on the nose, some richness on the nose. Weighty with a great texture on the palate. Seeing acidity gives the lift straight away - lemon juice, fully citrus, but so clean and so mineral too with oyster shell and salt on the undercurrent. It’s still quite lean, but graceful and very elegant and very moreish. I love the style, sharp and tangy. Fresh, orange, lemon and peach, lovely bitter elements with juiciness and some richness in terms of texture. Bright and alive. It’s very good. I like the tang on the super long finish. Well constructed. The teams picked between August 23 and 30 just in the mornings and pressed gently to preserve acidity. 3.15pH - a little higher than in 2021. 37hl/ha yield. 45% grand vin production, 50% second wine." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (04/10/2024), Ratings: 96

"White peach flesh on the opening gives an opulent start that quickly narrows inwards to flint and steel. An exceptional white wine, with sculpted charm, showcasing citrus, lime zest, green apple, anis and sage. Harvest August 23 to 30, yields 37hl/h compared to 15h/h in 2022." - Jane Anson, (05/06/2024), Ratings: 96

"The 2023 Château Margaux Pavillon Blanc is knockout stuff and consistently checks in with the crème de la crème of dry whites from Bordeaux. All Sauvignon Blanc, it has a riveting nose of honeyed limes, grapefruit, and mint. This carries to a medium-bodied white with remarkable purity, a racy, almost bracing spine of acidity, incredible precision, and a great finish. It's going to be incredibly long-lived, and I suspect 2-4 years of bottle age will help its acidity round into form." - Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2023 En Primeur, (5/8/2024), Ratings: 93-95+

"The 2023 Pavillon Blanc from Château Margaux, harvested during the morning hours of the August 23-30 heatwave, possesses a deep, complex bouquet of spring flowers, lemon oil, ripe orchard fruits, lemongrass and sweet gooseberries, followed by a medium to full-bodied, round and concentrated palate that's animated by lively acids, concluding with a long, taut, delicately phenolic finish. This bottling amounts to only 45% of the entire crop, the rest being relegated to a second wine." - Yohan Castaing, The Wine Advocate, (04/26/2024), Ratings: 93-95, Drink: 2025-2055