Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2018

69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample. Deepest cherry red. Black core and deep dark rim. Tiny little wild black berries on the nose. Subtle, dark and intense on the nose, gently fragrant and not closed though not jumping out of the glass. Super-fine texture, rounded and creamy even with the paper-fine tannins. Notable freshness and beautifully dry but not drying texture. Very moreish and much more approachable then many wines tasted this morning at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting, even though there is a serious charge of tannins. Very long, and a wine you would really want to drink, not just taste. Deeply concentrated but not heavy. (JH) 14.5%Drink 2025-2038

Representing roughly 30% of the total production and a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge is an incredibly elegant, juicy, and medium to full-bodied second wine that has fabulous purity in its cassis, violets, and floral aromas and flavors. It's silky, vibrant, and has sweet tannins, and just glides over the palate. This beautiful wine is already hard to resist and will keep for 15+ years.

(69 Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 Merlot, 3 Cabernet Franc, 9 Petit Verdot) | 14.5% alc | 30% of production was used for this wine | 82 IPT This is a very focussed and very densely fruited wine but it is one of the lightest and most ethereal of those on the Left Bank. The spice and florals are amazing and the length is superb and beautifully buoyant, losing none of its energy, from the start to the finish. Very expressive and very juicy this is a lithe Pavillon and it is a wine with a Burgundian texture and silkiness with impressive control and freshness, too.

Fantastic depth of ripe fruit with currant and dark-berry aromas. Hints of citrus and dry earth. Full body and round, velvety tannins that are melted into the wine. Very intense and fruity.

The 2018 Pavillon Rouge accounts for 30% of the crop this year. It is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of crushed black and red currants, warm black berries and plum pudding with touches of fungi, cedar chest, truffles and smoked meats plus a fragrant undercurrent of fallen leaves and potpourri. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a solid backbone of fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness supporting the vibrant red and black fruits, finishing long.