Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2019

• Domaine: Château Margaux
• Appellation: Margaux
• Classification: Second Wine, First Growth, 1ère Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France
• Importer: Laguna Cellar

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.

Tasting Notes

"A gorgeous wine, the 2019 Pavillon Rouge represents 27% of the crop. All of the radiance of the year is on display. Super-ripe red cherry, red plum, spice, cedar and new leather are all kicked up a few notches, with silky tannins that wrap it all together. Even with all of its obvious richness, the 2019 possesses notable energy as well as freshness.

Estate Manager Philippe Bascaules and his team turned out two spectacular wines in 2019. Note: I did not taste the Pavillon Blanc, as the estate thought it was too fragile to ship. Bascaules describes 2019 as an easy vintage. Flowering was normal and set was good. Yields came in at a healthy 47 hectoliters per hectare, more than 2017 or 2018, the summer heat spikes notwithstanding. Bascaules opted to pick the Merlot early and gave those lots a very gentle extractions at low temperatures, whereas the Cabernet Sauvignon vinifications were a much more typical 20-22 days at 28-30 degrees Celsius. In tasting, the 2019s have more tannins than any other vintage, with the exception of 2018, and yet the wines don't show that at all." - Antonio Galloni, vinous.com (June 2020), Rating: 92-94, Drink: 2025-2040