PAVILLON ROUGE 2nd wine of Ch. Margaux, Margaux 2009 Bottle

Description

Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux 2009 is an elegant second wine composed of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. It's a concentrated second wine that carries the estate’s hallmark perfume and finesse while offering a little more immediacy than the grand vin. The colour is deep ruby with a clear core and a faint garnet rim that hints at early development. The nose opens with lifted blackcurrant, ripe plum and wild blackberry, followed by delicate violet and rose petal perfume. With aeration cedar, warm spice and a subtle graphite mineral thread emerge, together with a hint of tobacco and undergrowth that add savoury complexity.

On the palate the wine displays a generous yet refined mid palate with supple weight and finely grained tannins that provide structure without harshness. Primary dark fruit of cassis and damson leads, evolving into layered flavours of black cherry, dark chocolate and a touch of espresso. There is a clear floral lift throughout, and mid palate savoury notes of olive tapenade, cured meat and dried herb enhance the wine’s appetite appeal. Acidity is bright enough to give energy and to keep the finish lively rather than heavy, while a cool saline seam and a faint iron note lengthen the aftertaste and underscore the Margaux signature.

The 2009 vintage produced ripe, generous fruit with polished tannins and aromatic intensity, and at Pavillon Rouge this translates into a wine that balances generosity with poise. Approachable now with decanting, the wine will also benefit from medium term cellaring as tertiary notes of leather, cedar and truffle knit with the fruit. Drink 2026 to 2038, peaking 2028 to 2034.

Serve slightly below room temperature with roast lamb, beef Wellington, duck with a berry glaze, chargrilled ribeye, mushroom and truffle risotto, or mature hard cheeses such as Comte or aged Manchego. Pavillon Rouge 2009 is a refined, food friendly Margaux second wine that offers both immediate pleasure and the structure to reward patience.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
This is wonderful to taste, with plums, berries, strawberries, and flowers. It's full and creamy textured, with gorgeous ripe tannins and a long, long finish. Such balance. Amazing tannin quality. Second wine of Margaux. One of best Pavillon Rouges ever. Try after 2018.

DECANTER 94 points
Tasted by: Georgie Hindle (at Shangri-La Singapore, 22 Nov 2025)
Drinking Window: 2025 - 2035
Tasted alongside the 2009 Grand Vin, this impressed with how delicious it was to drink now. Pure strawberries and blackcurrants combined with hints of graphite and mint alongside chalky tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and harmonious with some floral aspects and an overall sense of energy. A lovely, long and seamless wine.

VINOUS 93 points
Drinking window: 2019 - 2039
The 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux has a very pure bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, cedar and light violet aromas, quite intense and graining power in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly powdery tannin. The acidity is very well judged, a completely harmonious Pavillon Rouge with just the right amount of spice to enhance the finish. Excellent. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.
Neal Martin. Tasting date: February 2019

THE WINE ADVOCATE 93 points
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Drink Date: 2019 - 2033
Medium to deep garnet colored, the 2009 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux features an expressive, beautifully floral nose of dried roses and candied violets over a core of kirsch, Black Forest cake and fragrant earth with touches of black tea and cigar box. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft, plush, elegant and open-knit with an effortlessness to its character and a perfumed finish.

THE WINE ENTHUSIAST 93 points
92-94 Barrel sample. Very rich, dense, pushing great blackberry fruits and ripe tannins. As always on the level of a classed growth. — Roger Voss

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ABOUT CHATEAU MARGAUX
Château Margaux is one of Bordeaux’s most esteemed estates and a First Growth from the 1855 Classification, celebrated for wines of perfume, finesse and remarkable ageing potential. The property occupies gravel rich terraces in the Margaux commune, where excellent drainage and a moderated maritime climate favour measured ripening and the development of the aromatic lift that defines the house style. Château Margaux is widely regarded for producing wines that combine floral elegance with depth and structural poise.

The estate is owned by the Mentzelopoulos family, led by Corinne Mentzelopoulos, whose stewardship since the 1970s has seen sustained investment in vineyard renewal, cellar modernisation and research while preserving the château’s historic identity. Family ownership has provided long term vision and resources that support meticulous vineyard work and an uncompromising quality brief.

Vineyards extend across roughly eighty hectares planted principally to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Vine age varies among parcels and precise parcel mapping, clonal choice and targeted replanting have been used to refine balance and to express site differences. Viticultural practice at Margaux prioritises canopy management, yield control and selective hand harvesting to achieve physiological ripeness without sacrificing freshness. Increasing emphasis on soil health and sustainable measures is part of a longer term plan to sustain terroir expression.

Winemaking is conducted with a strong focus on parcel by parcel vinification and textural finesse. Fruit is carefully sorted, vinified in small lots with controlled fermentations and managed extraction to build tannic architecture while preserving aromatic clarity. The cellar team, under the estate technical leadership, oversees élevage in French oak tailored by cuvee so that oak integrates seamlessly with fruit. Regular blending trials and rigorous tasting guide final assemblages to balance immediacy and longevity.

Stylistically Château Margaux is often described as graceful and floral, showing violet and red berry perfume, black fruit, cedar and a mineral undercurrent framed by silky tannins and persistent length. Through coherent family stewardship, attentive viticulture and refined cellar craft, Château Margaux continues to define an archetype of Bordeaux elegance and long lived quality.