Chateau Margaux (Second Wine) - Pavillon Rouge - Margaux - 2016 | French Red Wine

The production of a second wine probably goes back to the beginning of the XVII century because it is inseparable from the search for excellence which started at that time.
Sold under the name of “Château Margaux 2nd wine”, it took its permanent name of Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux in 1908. After an eclipse between the thirties and the mid-seventies, its production restarted on the arrival of André Mentzelopoulos in 1977 and at first greatly increased in order to improve the quality of the first wine. From the mid – 1990s, the creation of a third wine in its turn, allowed for a more and more rigorous selection for Pavillon Rouge. For a few years now, a third of the harvest has gone into the first wine, barely 30% into the Pavillon Rouge, and the remainder is divided between the third and fourth wines.
A pretty nose. There's no really powerfully expressive fruit character, but just a sense of elegance and freshness, and a sense of it having silky and floral attributes in the background. Lovely finesse on the palate, with very sweet, delicately flavoured and perfumed fruit at its core, the tannins firm but have a certain chocolaty richness, very nice cherry-ripe acidity, and this is very long. Superb second wine.