Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux Château Margaux Red wine ● Margaux

Barely 30% of the harvest goes into the Pavillon Rouge: the selection effort stepped up since 2011 continues, bringing the Pavillon Rouge closer to the Premier Vin, at least in style. Can we still speak of a second wine? Do we remember that thirty years ago, this entire lot would have become Château Margaux? The Pavillon Rouge of that time corresponds today to what has become the third and fourth wines... some plots of merlot are finally starting to improve, not yet enough to make it into the first wine, but their quality has enabled us to introduce 33% of it into the blend this year. This is largely due to our increasingly fine plot selection, and of course to the conditions of the vintage. This is not the case for Petit Verdot, whose young parcels, which had done so well last year, did not stand up well to the summer drought; there are barely 3%. Cabernets - 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc - are of course the backbone of the wine. Pavillon Rouge 2012 is a very powerful wine - almost matching the historic levels of tannic concentration of the 2011 - but very well-balanced, fine and racy. If it doesn't reach the quality level of the 2010, it's probably not far off, and is clearly a cut above the 2011. (April 2013) Barely 30% of the harvest in the Pavillon Rouge: the selection effort stepped up since 2011 is continuing and helping to bring the Pavillon Rouge closer, at least in style, to the first wine. Can we still speak of a second wine? Do we remember that thirty years ago, this entire lot would have become Château Margaux? The Pavillon Rouge of that time corresponds today to what has become the third and fourth wines... some plots of merlot are finally starting to improve, not yet enough to make it into the first wine, but their quality has enabled us to introduce 33% of it into the blend this year. This is largely due to our increasingly fine plot selection, and of course to the conditions of the vintage. This is not the case for Petit Verdot, whose young parcels, which had done so well last year, did not stand up well to the summer drought; there are barely 3%. Cabernets - 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc - are of course the backbone of the wine. Pavillon Rouge 2012 is a very powerful wine - almost matching the historic levels of tannic concentration of the 2011 - but very well-balanced, fine and racy. If it doesn't reach the quality level of the 2010, it's probably not far off, and is clearly a cut above the 2011. (April 2013)