2018 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge

The Pavillon Rouge 2018 consists of 30% of the harvest. The blend is still dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (69%). The Merlot share decreased slightly (19%) compared to other vintages. This is offset by a notable increase in Petit Verdot (9%), which has particularly fine-grained tannins and a less pronounced aroma than in some vintages. Cabernet Franc completes the blend (3%). Like Château Margaux, but to a lesser extent, Pavillon Rouge 2018 is powerful, silky and long, and delicately tannic. Although it has the highest level of tannins of any Pavillon Rouge, there is not the slightest hint of astringency at any point in the tasting.

The hottest year since the beginning of the 20th century; temperatures in 2018 were 3.24°F above the national average. In Margaux the year started with a relatively mild winter with subnormal temperatures and occasional frosts in February, which did not affect our vines. The rest of the year was hot, sometimes very hot, compared to seasonal averages, marked by record temperatures in the last ten days of June and the first ten days of August, well over 7.2 °F above the 30-year average. Rainfall in the first half of the year was heavy, with almost 60 centimeters in Margaux between January 1 and July 10, making growing conditions challenging. Every rainy day made a good vintage less likely. But dry and warm summer conditions eventually reached our region and persisted until the end of the harvest. Rainfall was very low between mid-July and the end of September, at 5 centimeters. This rain pattern is reminiscent of 2009.

Under these conditions, the bud break occurred relatively late between April 4 and 10. The vines flowered between May 25 and 28 and despite the rather poor conditions, even on the relatively sensitive Merlot plots, we did not notice any poor or failed fruit set. The biggest challenge was mildew, which this year led to slightly lower yields than hoped after fruit set. The red harvest took place from September 17 to October 13 under ideal conditions. Once again this year we were able to choose the best time to harvest our grapes – no Botrytis symptoms, mild weather, ripening conditions sufficiently spread between the earliest Merlots and the latest Cabernets – and we had the time to take the necessary care in each winemaking process. barrel. This year, nearly a hundred different batches were turned into wine, demonstrating our continued efforts for better and more accurate selections.