Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, 2025
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, 2025
- 75cl
- 13.9%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
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Est. delivery in 2028
Pavillon Rouge is Château Margaux's second wine, crafted from the estate's younger vines and plots that don't quite make the cut for the grand vin. Don't mistake this for a consolation prize though - we're talking about Margaux terroir here, and the same meticulous attention that makes the first wine legendary.
What the critics say:
"Fresh prune, some balsamic notes, fresh rose petals. Fragrant and dark notes, a touch of spice, some soft minerality. Juicy and succulent – there’s acidity for sure but what stands out is the texture, so soft and creamy on the palate with bright but cool blueberry acidity, some liquorice spice, violet touches and a lot of graphite and pencil lead salinity on the finish. Clearly structured but so generous in terms of fruit purity. Quite a serious Pavillon. Started harvesting young vines on the 8 September, Merlots on 11th and Cabernets on 19th, finishing on the 29th. A yield of 22hl/ha. 3.68pH. 78IPT. 28% second wine production, usually 30%. 12% press wine. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend."
"Flavoursome, this is luscious and juicy, with the concentration and ripeness that I was expecting in more of the wines this year. Rose petals, damson, slate, crayon, cocoa bean, mint, DNA of the Margaux appellation on display. Just 2018 and 2022 were higher numbers in terms of phenolic compounds, and the 3.68ph is still low, but the perception is far less intense than in many properties. 22hl/ha yield across the vineyard, harvest September 8 for young Merlot, then Cabernet Sauvignon began September 19 and finished September 29. IPT 78. 28% of the overall production."
"Deep dark ruby garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge brightening. Delicate hints of cloves, ripe cherries, floral notes, candied violets. Taut, tightly woven, red berry nuances, ripe tannins, mineral-salty finish, good length, definite ageing potential."
The vineyards sit on Margaux's famous deep gravel beds over limestone and clay subsoils, providing excellent drainage whilst retaining enough moisture for the vines. This unique terroir, combined with the maritime influence of the Gironde estuary, creates the perfect conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen fully whilst maintaining elegance. The gravelly soils warm quickly, encouraging early ripening, whilst the limestone beneath adds the mineral backbone that defines great Margaux.
Margaux is arguably Bordeaux's most elegant appellation, known for producing wines of extraordinary finesse and perfume. The commune's deep gravel soils favour Cabernet Sauvignon, which must comprise at least 30% of any red blend, though most estates use much more. Compared to neighbouring Pauillac's power or Saint-Julien's structure, Margaux wines are defined by their silky tannins and floral complexity. The appellation's 21 classified growths, including five first growths, represent some of Bordeaux's most sought-after wines.
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage emerged from one of the most demanding growing seasons in recent memory — the earliest budbreak since 1989, June temperatures second only to 2003 since records began, and an unusually early harvest beginning in August for the whites. Conditions that should have produced heavy, overripe wines. They didn't. Decanter's Georgie Hindle, who tasted close to 200 wines ahead of the formal campaign, describes "exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.
The early critical consensus places 2025 stylistically between the precision of 2020 and the structure of 2016, with the brightness of 2023 — a combination that suggests a very serious vintage indeed. Yields are dramatically low, the smallest crop since 1991, with production across the Gironde running around 15% below the five-year average. The quality is here. There simply isn't very much of it.
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Château Margaux
