2016 Chateau Margaux Pavillon Rouge

About the Wine

This is the second wine from one of the most famous, and finest, wineries in the world, Chateau Margaux. One of the original first growths from the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, Margaux stands alone in its singularity and world-renowned recognition as the reference point in Margaux, and indeed, in Bordeaux.

Critical Reviews

The blackcurrant and floral aromas with brick and hot stones are tantalizing. Flowers underneath it all. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins with beautiful ripeness that highlights the palate. Second wine of Château Margaux. Try after 2024.~95 James Suckling

With its dense texture and high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, this is an impressively powerful second wine of Château Margaux. Acidity and dark blueberry flavors are concentrated, with layers of tannins that demand aging. Drink from 2023. ~94 Wine Enthusiast

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux (composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot) bursts forth with exuberant Morello cherries, black raspberries and cassis scents accented by touches of menthol, dark chocolate and garrigue plus a waft of tree bark. The palate is medium-bodied, very elegant, vivacious and fresh with satiny tannins and a nice long finish. ~93+ Wine Advocate

Very refined and focused, with fine-grained sandalwood and alder accents lining a core of stylish, gently mulled cherry and blackberry fruit flavors. A perfumed lilac note weaves around the fruit on the elegant finish. Approachable now, but buried minerality lurks, and this is sneaky long, so cellaring is easily doable. Best from 2022 through 2035. 8,333 cases made. ~93 Wine Spectator

The 2016 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux, bottled at the end of June, has a clean, precise bouquet of blackberry, bilberry, notes of violet and a hint of orange pith. It gains intensity in the glass with every swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin and a fine bead of acidity, and it feels linear and compact the moment. Quite saline in the mouth, with a touch of brine toward a finish that is almost broody in style. Very fine, though it might need four to five years to reach its drinking window. ~92 Neal Martin

Margaux's 2016 Pavillon Rouge is a gorgeous, precise wine that will offer plenty of drinking pleasure right out of the gate. Bright red cherry fruit, sweet tobacco and dried herbs are all laced together in this finely-knit, inviting wine. Hints of blood orange and mint add an attractive upper register. In 2016, Pavillon Rouge stands out for its persistence and impeccable balance. ~92 Antonio Galloni