Critic Notes
Shows incredible depth and power with near perfect Margaux character of black fruits and power. Full body, very tannic yet polished and refined. It’s like the gran vin but in a year like 2006 or 2007. Best ever. Mar 2016, www.JamesSuckling.com
Score: 95-96/100James Suckling
In a year when the Grand Vin was superb, it’s no coincidence that Château Margaux’s second wine is very impressive, too. Silky and fine, with plum and cassis fruit, taut acidity, subtle oak and more backbone than you think at first. Apr 2016, www.timatkin.com, Drink: 2022-2030
Score: 94-/100Tim AtkinDrinking Window: 2022-2030
Wonderfully floral nose, beautiful texture and pure natural vineyard extraction that shows the feminine side of Margaux to perfection. Slightly austere tannins now but a fine future. The team think this is the best Pavillon Rouge they have ever made. Apr 2016, Steven Spurrier, www.Decanter.com, Drink: 2021-2035
Score: 93-/100DecanterDrinking Window: 2021-2035
The 2015 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, which represents just 23% of the total production this year, has a higher percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon than other years, 74%, with 21% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It has a very refined bouquet, focused and extraordinarily pure with blackcurrant, blueberry and minerals. The 50% new oak is beautifully integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a little more masculine than I was expecting, a Pavillon with firm structure imparted by that higher proportion of Cabernet. But the freshness is ample and there is a long, satisfying graphite note that seems to last forever on the finish. What a great deuxième vin, a stunning Pavillon Rouge. Apr 2016, www.eRobertParker.com, Drink: 2020-2045
Score: 92-94/100Neal MartinDrinking Window: 2020-2045
Blended of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and an expressive, alluringly spicy nose of cloves, cinnamon stick and fenugreek with a core of red and black currants, black cherries and wild blueberries plus a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied with very fine, grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, it finishes long and satisfying. Feb 2018, www.robertparker.com
Score: 92-/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown
74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. Big change in the blend - far more Cabernet than there used to be. Very beautifully integrated on the nose. Still quite structured on the palate. Quite ambitious. This really is the sort of wine that would have been Ch Margaux in the 1980s. Excellent freshness and length. Not at all like a second wine. Great lift towards the end. 14%. Apr 2016, www.JancisRobinson.com, Drink: 2024-2040
Score: 17-/20Jancis RobinsonDrinking Window: 2024-2040
The 2015 Pavillon Rouge is lovely. Open-knit, gracious and seductive, the 2015 offers striking palate presence and nuance. Exotic flower and a dash of white pepper add aromatic lift in a silky wine that shows the pure class of Margaux and Château Margaux. The 2015 is a striking, precise wine endowed with real class through and through. Approximately 26% of the crop went into the Pavillon Rouge. Apr 2016, www.Vinous.com
Score: 90-93/100Antonio Galloni
