An amazing 2005! The Merlot that was not allowed a place in the blend of the top wine brings incredible power and life to the Pavillon Rouge. It makes up 48% of the blend! The Cabernet Sauvignon (also 48%) contributes both density and restraint which could have been missing with the opulent, fleshy character of the Merlot. The Petit Verdot (4%) plays its discreet and necessary part to the full as an accent in the blend. The wine as a whole is surprisingly powerful, fat and balanced –that’s the magic of blending! The 2005, along with the 2010 and 2015, is the richest Pavillon Rouge, in tannin and alcohol, that we have ever produced. It is already very good to drink, but will benefit from several more years of aging. (October 2018)\n Very beautiful aromas of crushed flowers--like roses--follow through to plum, berry and Indian spices. Full-bodied, refined and silky, with lovely ripe fruit and a delicate aftertaste of raisin and flowers. The second wine of Margaux.\n Producer Information\n Château Margaux is one of Bordeaux's most famous wine estates, located just east of Margaux itself in the Médoc. Along with Lafite, Latour and Haut-Brion, it was rated as a first growth in the original 1855 Bordeaux Classification of the Médoc. Generally, Margaux is considered as the most elegant of the first growths, and is consistently one of the most expensive wines in the world. The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend is complimented with small portions of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.Château Margaux's vineyards have a complex combination of soils that are unique to the area. These consist of chalky clay under a top layer of coarse and fine gravels, which is well-suited to Cabernet Sauvignon, which accounts for around 75 percent of plantings. Merlot makes up a further 20 percent, with the rest planted to Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As is typical for top Bordeaux estates, the vineyard is densely planted at 10,000 vines per hectare. There are also 12 hectares (30 acres) of Sauvignon Blanc to make Margaux's white offering, Pavillon Blanc, which must be sold as Bordeaux AOP, not Margaux. This compliments the Pavillon Rouge the second wine of which production dates back to the beginning of the 16th Century.
