Wine Advisor
Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux 2021
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Pavillon Blanc is fascinating to taste next to the 2020, as the two wines represent total stylistic opposites. Bright citrus, mineral and saline notes are at the heart of the 2021, a Pavillon Blanc that sizzles with tension an energy.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2021 Pavillon Blanc is a fabulous example of how compelling the vintage is for the best dry whites. It marries the nervy freshness that has characterized the Blanc of late and yet also has quite a bit of textural richness. I was pretty shocked by its weight, to be honest. Lemon confit, white flowers, sage and mint gradually unfurl in the glass. Quite simply, the 2021 is one of the finest Pavillon Blancs in recent memory.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Since I reviewed the 2020 last year, I tasted the bottled 2021 Pavillon Blanc during my visit. The nose is a little stubborn at first, opening with discrete white peach and yellow plum scents, a touch of jasmine. It's certainly less flamboyant than the barrel sample. The palate is well balanced with a lively entry, citrus fresh with lemon verbena, menthol and pineapple notes. Strangely, it's got something…Chardonnay about it! Vibrant, maybe a little exotic compared to previous vintages, full of joie-de-vivre on the finish.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2021 Pavillon Blanc, picked between 7 and 13 September, before the rains, has a well-defined bouquet with scents of pineapple, kumquat, touches of white peach coming through with time. The palate is very concentrated with sour lemon that counterbalances the fatness and density. Touch of lemongrass on the finish.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is a really serious white. Vibrant and tangy with fantastic energy. Plenty of lime zest, pineapple, crushed stone, cedar, anise and white lavender. Grapefruit, too. Medium body. So much tension at the end. Focused and precise and it just keeps on going. The pH is 3.04, yet it has intense ripeness. A masterpiece of sauvignon blanc. The chateau says it is the best Pavillon Blanc ever. 100% sauvignon blanc.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is very tightly wound, with dried apples, limes, blossom honey, flint, light mangoes and some lemon curd, as well as hints of stone. Medium- to full-bodied with tangy acidity and white peaches, Meyer lemons and minerals. It is focused and very refined. There's plenty of compact fruit, and the energetic acidity is phenomenal. Drinkable, but give this three or four years.
About the Producer
Sold in the 19th century as "Château Margaux vin de sauvignon", it has existed under the brand name "Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux" since 1920, and its label has not changed since then. This 11 hectare vineyard is planted exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc. It is located on a very old plot of the estate, planted long ago with red vines which were later dug up because of the high risk of spring frosts. Since 2009/2010, a complete review of production techniques and selection has been carried out in order to reach a higher level; only 1/3 of the harvest is bottled and the remaining 2/3 is sold in bulk. As a result, the quantity of white wine has been considerably reduced to no more than a thousand cases. Today, it benefits from the ultra-modern installation of the new cellar designed by Norman Foster. The finesse, complexity, richness and length of entry of the white wines are unparalleled for wines made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Recent vintages, notably the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, have broken new ground in terms of quality, ageing capacity and style, becoming more mineral and more complex. A large proportion of the harvest was bottled in magnums, creating optimal ageing conditions.
1959(1)1987(2)1992(1)1998(1)2004(2)2005(3)2006(2)2007(1)2008(5)2009(3)2010(2)2011(8)2012(3)2013(6)2014(6)2015(6)2016(6)2017(11)2018(4)2019(5)2020(7)
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