Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Margaux's second wine is made from a serious selection process that takes place at this First Growth Chateau. There is also a third wine called Margaux de Margaux (that is not sold En Primeur) and a fourth wine that is sold off in bulk.
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Enticing and floral nose – violets, cherry blossom – accented with baking spices. Bright and crunchy on the palate, this is a compact and well-proportioned style. Slightly heavy on toast and cedar for now. The oak should integrate with time and there is structure to suggest potential moving forward.
Drink 2023 – 2037
The quality of tannins in the Pavillon Rouge is really beautiful with extremely fine grain. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and silky. Racy and extended on the palate. Really pretty. Strength with elegance. Drink after 2022.
A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Pavillon Rouge from Chateau Margaux has a deep garnet color, with a hint of purple. It is slightly closed and needs patience to unlock the beautiful perfume of Morello cherries, black raspberries, and violets, leading to hints of Sichuan pepper, garrigue, and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is so tightly knit with energetic, intertwined red and black fruits sparked by mineral and floral notes, and cushioned with finely grained tannins, finishing with great freshness.
This has great concentration, with carefully balanced black fruits that are fleshy and inviting but unfussy. The berry size was a little bigger than last year after the September rains (70mm in 20 days) so there is a feeling of juice and mouthwatering seduction once you give it some time to work through the initial austerity. There's no dilution through the mid-palate, and it's one of the few second wines that really gets your attention in 2017. They lost 10% of the crop to frost, giving a yield of 35hl/ha, with no secondary fruits used in Pavillon or Margaux (not even the first generation buds from any affected plots). 22% of total production is the lowest ever for Pavillon, and combined with the low yield means there will be 40% fewer bottles. The vineyards were entirely organically farmed in 2017, although there are still no plans to go for certification. Harvested 18-26 September. 3.7pH. IPT 73 - as high as last year. 4% Cabernet Franc also in the blend. Will be 60% new oak.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2038
Bright healthy crimson. Rich, pure-fruited and generous. Smooth, velvety tannins, deep and long. Deep and rich and even.
Drink 2025-2037
Fragrant and fresh the nose is light with a mix of back fruits and red fruits the start of the palate has bramble freshness. Sweet in the middle the tannins are fine, supple and rich at the back with fresher fruits showing on the finish which is quite light, fragrant and long. 2024-37
There were 8 hectares damaged by frost, so approximately 10% of production was lost. The season was ‘easy’ apart from that but from the second week of September, the rain came and then it went, thankfully, and higher temperatures returned with the sunshine. They harvested everything fairly smartly. This is a bright, very intense Cabernet-themed wine with amazing density considering its framework, which is not muscular at all. The purple-ink colour and incredible length are fascinating. On paper it is not dissimilar to the 2016, but in flavour terms it couldn’t be more different. It needs time to soften, as this is a tense, coiled-up Pavillon.
There is very pretty purity of fruit to this with lots of currant, strawberry and plum character. Lots of chocolate and hazelnut too. Full body, velvety tannins and a chewy finish. Excellent for the vintage. About half the normal production. This is the same level of quality as 2016.
Blended of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux has a lovely open and expressive spicy nose of cinnamon and cloves with a core of red currant jelly, kirsch and crushed blackberries plus touches of tobacco and new leather. The palate is medium-bodied with great mid-palate intensity and plenty of red and black fruit layers, finishing on an uplifting perfumed note.