1996 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux

Community Tasting Notes (81) Avg Score: 91.2 points

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  12/28/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Opened in Hong Kong. P&P and enjoyed slowly; by the time I got there and had a glass it was already 1h+ in.
  
  This surprised me in a good way. Having previously consumed 2 cases of the '95 Pavillon Rouge back in 2018/19, I expected this to be more tertiary and perhaps on the decline. You can definitely feel the age here, but it's still got some dark fruit and isn't going downhill just yet. Smooth tannins, solid Bordeaux palate befitting of the pedigree.
  
  I don't see any upside, so I'd recommend drinking up. But if you have bottles which are from good provenance and were stored properly, this should have the stuffing to hold up at least a few more years.
  
  Thanks to K for sharing!

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  10/7/2023 - wu_wine wrote:

  Ready to drink in 2006; bought just to relive an experience and out of curiosity

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  5/11/2023 - SilverSavvy wrote: 92 Points

  Wonderful bottle for our Anniversary -- married in 1996 and saved for the occassion

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  3/22/2023 - Tao wrote: flawed

  More than twenty years of storage time wasted! What a shame!

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  11/19/2022 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points

  The "2nd wine" of Château Margaux. Historically this wine was made from grapes that were not used to make the grand vin, but today the wine sees quite as strict selection of fruit as the grand vin itself - the fruit not used for Château Margaux or Pavillon Rouge are used for the 3rd wine or just sold off. The blend follows the percentage of planted vines quite closely, typically being mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (65% to 75% of the blend), the remainder being Merlot (20% to 30%), Petit Verdot (3-5%) and Cabernet Franc (2-3%). 12,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Somewhat evolved and slightly translucent cherry-red color with a developed maroon hue. The nose feels somewhat evolved and very harmonious with somewhat tertiary aromas of ripe dark fruits, some sweeter notes of prunes, a little bit of game, light old leathery tones, an autumnal hint of dried leaves and a touch of cassis. The wine is evolved and somewhat tertiary yet not too old on the palate with a dense and even somewhat chewy medium body and savory flavors of wizened red plums, some old leathery notes, a little bit of game and pouch tobacco, light crunchy notes of tart cranberries, a hint of gravelly minerality and a sweeter touch of prunes and dried blackcurrants. The wine retains quite an impressive structure with its high acidity and still quite assertive and grippy tannins. The finish is long, savory and quite tannic with evolved, moderately tertiary flavors of tart cranberries and ripe red plums, some gravelly mineral notes, a little bit of old leather, light earthy tones, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of old wood spice.
  
  A savory and somewhat tertiary Margaux at full maturity. With our guesses we homed in Bordeaux quite quickly, but not immediately - so in that sense age might have muddled some of the sense of place from this wine. However, it is still fully enjoyable with its good sense of structure, impressive intensity and great complexity. I really see no benefit in further aging as the tannins are most likely going to outlast the fruit; aging the wine some more might help in resolving those still quite tough and assertive tannins, but I doubt the fruit is going to go anywhere from here but down. Terrific stuff right now. No need to let the wine breathe more than how long it takes to decant it carefully off the deposit, but pairing it with something that can soften those tannins is recommended.

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