Pavillon Rouge 2021

Discreetly matured; with remarkable tension and sinewy length, an exceedingly fruity redcurrant finish; a very fine wine.

The 2021 Pavillon Rouge offers up aromas of raspberries, sweet cherries and white flowers, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, lively palate that’s quite taut and youthfully structured right out of the gates, with good depth at the core and powdery tannins. It will reward a bit of bottle age.

Rich and intense on the nose, scented with red and pink flowers alongside red cherries and plums. A really vibrant pink rim to the glass too. Touches of dark chocolate, cedar and green pepper, herbal notes, and eucalyptus. Round and vibrant on the palate, playful – super-high acidity, almost sharp, tart and tangy, with grippy tannins that provide texture and structure. Half crushed velvet and half lean and austere, giving both weight and direction. Feels quite youthful and buzzy right now, but there’s a nice juiciness, great fresh acidity, a bite on the tongue, and a clean wet-stone, slate-like feel and texture. A hint of green peppercorn and toast adds spicy angles and minerality on the finish. Well constructed; not the easiest to drink at the moment – this is more serious – but there’s good potential and plenty of flavour. It has a certain intensity; a touch of green lean-ness keeps it from being totally charming right now, but it certainly carries interest and nuance.

This wine has tightness and linear energy, with red currants, herbs, plums and hints of dark chocolate. Medium-bodied with beautiful integration and length. Racy and focused. Just the right amount of wood and fruit with tannins. Second wine of Chateau Margaux. 73% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot, 5% petit verdot and 4% cabernet franc.

Quite floral in nature, the nose exudes white and purple flowers, black cherries, spice, and just a hint of espresso. The palate is medium-bodied, vibrant, crisp, and chalky, with a sweetness to the lifted, chewy red fruits with a touch of citrus in the finish. The wine blends 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, 13.1% ABV, 13.5 pH. Drink from 2025-2037.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple hues. Attractive savoury notes, a hint of cloves, red cherries, a touch of orange zest; an inviting bouquet. Juicy and complex, finessed, well-structured, ripe tannins, dark cherries, mineral, lovely length; already very seductive.

Mostly likely the second wine of the vintage, the 2021 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge boasts a deep ruby/purple hue as well as beautiful aromatics of red and blue fruits, smoke tobacco, violets, and graphite. It's medium-bodied, has remarkable purity, integrated acidity, and one heck of a beautiful finish. You can taste more than a little Grand Vin in this, yet it clearly has more up-front charm and appeal. A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, it benefits from air and should be at its best from 2029-2041.

Its dark-fruit core is still very closed and massive, with ripe, multi-layered aromas in the background. On the palate, it also opens on dark berries, with massive intensity and tremendous power. No, this is not a small vintage of this Margaux icon. Salty, endlessly long and racy, Pavillon Rouge still wants a bit more time to mature in the bottle. A delicate 13.1% ABV lends it elegance and balance.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc) Silky, finely creamy, fragrant bouquet, cassis, mulberries, cedar, currants, delicate licorice. Dense, elegant, powerful palate with velvety fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a finely muscular structure, intense, sweet aromatics, long, compact finish. Has room to improve.

A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux was bottled in July 2023. It has a deep garnet-purple color and skips out of the glass with eager-to-please notes of black raspberries and fresh blackcurrants, leading to suggestions of rose oil, cardamom, and powdered cinnamon. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and elegant, with silky tannins and soft-spoken red and black berry layers, finishing with a comforting spiciness.

(73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc) The nose is fruity, elegant, and offers a certain intensity (with finesse), with a lovely sense of classicism in its elegant expression. It reveals notes of ripe wild blackcurrant, pulpy strawberry and, more lightly, small black fruits, combined with touches of fresh red berries and racy/saline minerality, as well as fine hints of juicy/pulpy purple plum, touches of nutmeg, almond, toasted/caramelized wood, a discreet hint of cardamom, and a subtle hint of bourbon vanilla. The palate is fruity and offers minerality, freshness, delicacy, a lovely fresh-silk feel, a very fine/discreetly tight grain, tension, and an appealing classicism. On the palate, the wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackcurrant, fresh/juicy small red berries and, more lightly, cherry, combined with small floral touches (violet, rose), as well as fine hints of licorice, lily, racy/iodized minerality, a subtle hint of chocolate and infusion/crushed almond. A subtle chew on the finish. Lovely quality of elegant, supple, very fine, and gourmand tannins. A great classic.