Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2019

Pavillon Rouge is the Second Wine from the incomparable Château Margaux.  This soft, versatile wine can be enjoyed a bit younger than its older sister but still has a tremendous amount of ageing potential, ranging anywhere from 30 to 40 years.  It is an excellent wine for those waiting for the grand vin of this storied estate to come around. Château Margaux was a viticultural leader from its inception.  This estate 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 First Growth in the 1855 Classification - the only estate to receive a perfect score of 20/20.  The Second Wine was introduced to the estate in 1908, under the moniker, “Château Margaux Second Wine.”  Like the trajectory of the Château, the story behind Pavillon Rouge is one riddled with fits, starts, and plenty of hardships but ultimately has a very happy ending.

The next several decades for Château Margaux were marked by hardship and financial difficulties.  Quality decreased, and in order to save money the Second Wine at the estate was eliminated until 1977.  The property was on the brink of fading into obscurity until it was revitalized by André Mentzelopoulos, a Greek supermarket magnet who fell in love with the gorgeous Neoclassical architecture of the estate.  Andre spared no expense in returning Château Margaux to its former glory.  He reinstituted the Second Wine, naming it Pavillon Rouge in order to improve the quality of the grand vin. 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 of grand vin Paul supervised, the vintage of 2015, became the most storied vintage in Chateau Margaux’s recent history.  It garnered 100 pts from influential critics, cementing the return to excellence for Château Margaux

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  barely 30% of the harvest goes into Pavillon Rouge.  Thought the wine is considered a Second Wine, it is not treated as such.  The main difference between Pavillon Rouge and the grand vin is simply the age of the vines.  The wine is balanced and a blend of power and softness that all Bordeaux producers strive to achieve.  Like the story of its estate, the story of Pavillon Rouge is one filled with second chances and ultimately a triumph. 

"'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.'' - Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2022 En Primeur, (08/11/2022) Ratings: 95 Drink: 2022-2047

"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." - William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, (04/07/2022), Ratings: 95

"Classically balanced Pavillon Rouge, fairly restrained in its fruits, good tannic structure, very much on the plum and bilberry fruits. There is a lovely balance here, with freshness, less exuberant than the 2018 yet with a quiet sense of building and delivering momentum. As it opens, rose petal and peony aromatics begin to hover above the glass, enticing you in. There is a lot going on here, and it's a successful wine with juicy perfumed fruit. 27% of total production, 47hl/ha yield.'' - Jane Anson, Best Pomerol 2020 Wines Tasted En Primeur, (10/26/2021), Ratings: 94, Drink: 2028-2048

"Lovely perfumed Merlot type fragrance on the nose, soft, delicate but defined giving blackcurrant and cherry aromas. Lovely texture here, so smooth, with an element of ripeness in the dark berry fruit but also seering freshness that lifts the palate, juicy and highly toned. Such a nice nuance of freshness and cooling fruit. The texture is dense but so soft you get an impression of cream. There's a real quality to the tannins and framing of the fruit, textured and fresh. Delicious. 2% Cabernet Franc completes the blend." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter, (01/11/2024), Ratings: 94