Blackberry, plum, light earth and undergrowth on the nose. Citrus, too. It’s full-bodied with rich, chewy tannins that turn energetic, fine and tight on the finish. Lively acidity. Second wine of Margaux. A blend of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 9% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Try after 2024.

This cuvée has been in the running for the best second wine in the vintage for a number of years now, and I think it just might be there in 2018. The 2018 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge checks in as 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, and it's no lightweight effort, revealing a dense purple color as well as gorgeous crème de cassis, black cherry, crushed violets, sandalwood, smoke tobacco, and incense. It's loaded with Château Margaux character, has medium to full-bodied richness, ample structure, and a great finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved with air. Don't underestimate this second wine – it's incredibly impressive. Hide bottles for 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Fresh blackcurrant, pastille and violet aromas. Fine but robust tannins, masses of rich, fresh mid palate fruit. Lots of lovely cool mineral character floating underneath, whih carries into the finish. The whole thing feels quite weightless. Very impressive. - April 2019

The 2018 Pavillon Rouge accounts for 30% of the crop this year. It is composed of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of crushed black and red currants, warm black berries and plum pudding with touches of fungi, cedar chest, truffles and smoked meats plus a fragrant undercurrent of fallen leaves and potpourri. The palate is medium to full-bodied with a solid backbone of fine-grained tannins and loads of freshness supporting the vibrant red and black fruits, finishing long. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, April 2019, The Wine Advocate

Tight, bright firm fruits, packed with finely tuned tannins, with a clear velvety texture. The highest tannin levels they have ever produced in Pavillon Rouge, close to the levels in 1996. There is an austerity to the wine right now. You get the spice of the Petit Verdot - also at the highest level to date - giving cushion and complexity to the blackberry, raspberry and bilberry fruits. Even this second wine should be given at least eight to 10 years to really soften because of these tannins, and it is set for the long term. 3.61pH, with 30% of the overall harvest in Pavillon Rouge in 2018. Bottled July 2020. 3% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend, with 13% press wine. 60% new oak ageing.
Blind tasted by Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 10 Nov 2020)
Part of Best 2018 Bordeaux second wines: Re-tasted in the bottle

The 2018 Pavillon Rouge is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vivacious scents of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of bay leaves, pencil lead, tapenade and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a generous amount of black fruit at the core with loads of earthy and savory accents and a soft, approachable frame, finishing long with an herbal lift. It is approachable now but should be a lot more expressive with a couple of years in bottle and drink nicely over the following 15 to 18 years or more.

The 2018 Pavillon Rouge represents 30% of the harvest. It offers intense red cherry, pomegranate, crushed violet petals and hints of iodine on the nose, which is high-toned but still well defined. The palate is very well balanced with silky-smooth tannins on the entry and a taut line of acidity that keeps everything in balance. I like the nascent energy of this Pavillon Rouge, and the seam of black pepper enlivening the finish. This has great potential.

The 2018 Pavillon Rouge is absolutely gorgeous. Pliant, rich and enveloping, Pavillon Rouge is unusually deep in this vintage. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, tobacco, licorice and rose petal are all given an extra kick of textural resonance in the 2018. Dehydration at the end of the growing season concentrated the fruit, a phenomenon that was mostly felt in younger vines and parcels on gravel soils rather than clay. Even with all of its obvious richness, the 2018 has striking aromatic intensity and brilliance to round things out. Pavillon Rouge accounts for 30% of the harvest and is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc.

Deepest cherry red. Black core and deep dark rim. Tiny little wild black berries on the nose. Subtle, dark and intense on the nose, gently fragrant and not closed though not jumping out of the glass. Super-fine texture, rounded and creamy even with the paper-fine tannins. Notable freshness and beautifully dry but not drying texture. Very moreish and much more approachable then many wines tasted this morning at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting, even though there is a serious charge of tannins. Very long, and a wine you would really want to drink, not just taste. Deeply concentrated but not heavy.Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2019