CRITIC REVIEWS
Neal Martin
The 2019 Pavillon Rouge has a more austere bouquet than its peers, nuanced yet still well-defined, taut with black fruit laced with pencil shavings and freshly rolled tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, pliant and rounded, smooth and harmonious though not satin-like there is still a bit of grit on the finish. It builds and opens nicely in the glass - a serious and quite compelling Deuxieme Vin. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
William Kelley
Given that Margaux's second wine contains plenty of fruit that made it into the grand vin just a decade or two ago, great things are to be expected from this bottling. Yet I was nonetheless taken aback by the quality of the 2019 Pavillon Rouge. Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums and cherries mingled with rose petals and sweet spices, it's medium to full-bodied, sensual and concentrated, with beautifully refined tannins, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. This is an exquisite Pavillon Rouge that is well worth seeking out. I confess that I don't buy many second wines, but I did purchase a case of this, with alacrity, right after tasting it.
JancisRobinson.com
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc. 27% of the production. Barrel sample. Quite rich and ripe with an almost raisined note to the fruit. A little more robust than usual, the fruit dense and gourmand, the tannins plentiful, firm and grainy behind. A touch of freshness on the finish pulls it together but a bit of chew at the end. (JL)