Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge 2020

This year's Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge selection has been bountiful, with 31% of the harvest meeting strict criteria. The consistency of quality, combined with favourable climatic conditions, has resulted in a higher percentage than previous vintages. Not only that, but their hard work in the parcels is paying off, with quality nearing that of the exquisite Grand Vin.

Grape Composition: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

Wine Advocate: 93
The 2020 Pavillon Rouge is excellent, offering up aromas of raspberries and dark berries mingled with hints of cedar and rose petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, vibrant palate with excellent depth and tension, concluding with a long, chalky finish. It's more tightly wound than the exceedingly demonstrative 2019, though in the fullness of time, it wouldn't surprise me if it ended up being just as good. Best After 2027.

Wine Advocate: 93

The 2020 Pavillon Rouge is excellent, offering up aromas of raspberries and dark berries mingled with hints of cedar and rose petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, vibrant palate with excellent depth and tension, concluding with a long, chalky finish. It's more tightly wound than the exceedingly demonstrative 2019, though in the fullness of time, it wouldn't surprise me if it ended up being just as good. Best After 2027.

Decanter: 94
Sinewed muscle, nuanced aromatics, graphite, gunsmoke, fresh tobacco leaf and blackberry puree. Great purity of fruits, a ton of lift and freshly crushed mint leaf aromatics that grip and curl out of the glass. One of the really successful second wines in the vintage. 31% of the overall blend. 2% of Cabernet Franc completes the blend.

Wine Enthusiast: 96
The second wine of Château Margaux is beautiful, smoky with acidity that is intense and yet integrated with the perfumed fruits. The wine's freshness is very much a product of the vintage, giving the tannins a fine lift. Of course the wine will age.

James Suckling: 97
Subtle and attractive aromas of blackcurrants and flowers with hints of spices. Black truffles as well. Medium to full body, with fine tannins that are nicely integrated and racy. Succulent at the end. Umami, too.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94
As to the reds, the 2020 Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge is classic Chateau Margaux with its finesse, elegance, and purity. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot aged in 50% new French oak, it has a great perfume of cassis and darker cherries as well as notes of dried flowers, sandalwood, and graphite. Beautifully balanced, layered, and concentrated, it's a gem of a second wine with plenty of Grand Vin character. It will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for two decades. Best After 2025.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94

As to the reds, the 2020 Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge is classic Chateau Margaux with its finesse, elegance, and purity. A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot aged in 50% new French oak, it has a great perfume of cassis and darker cherries as well as notes of dried flowers, sandalwood, and graphite. Beautifully balanced, layered, and concentrated, it's a gem of a second wine with plenty of Grand Vin character. It will benefit from just a few years of bottle age and keep for two decades. Best After 2025.