100% Sauvignon Blanc

James Suckling: 97, Wine Advocate: 93

James Suckling: This is very linear and minerally with subtle mango and apple, as well as some pineapple and bitter lemon. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a creamy texture and great tension and energy. Heather and lavender undertones. Steely. Tangy finish. Subtle and fine. This is a joy to taste and drink now, but will age beautifully.

Wine Advocate: Reflecting the trend toward a more vibrant, earlier-picked style for this cuvée, the 2019 Pavillon Blanc exhibits notes of pear, grapefruit and crisp white peach, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled palate, concluding with a saline finish. Its low pH of 3.05 reflects a rigorous selection of only the first (and lowest pH) juice at the press. Philippe Bascaules—who served as directeur de l'exploitation under Paul Pontaillier between 1990 and 2011—took the reins at Château Margaux in early 2017, and he and his team have crafted one of the qualitative pinnacles of the 2019 vintage. Meticulously maintained vineyards, situated on the appellation's finest terroirs, are farmed intelligently, without deleafing or green harvesting—something other producers increasingly emulate as they pull back from the excesses of the early 2000s. Cabernet Sauvignon is on the increase, both in terms of plantings and as a percentage of the blend (it represents fully 90% of the grand vin in 2019), which works perfectly with Margaux's soils and the estate's elegant but concentrated style. Winemaking is very traditional, with classical macerations and an 18-month élevage in new oak (most barrels are produced in-house) punctuated by six rackings and one egg-white fining. An in-house bottling line is being acquired to bring even greater control and flexibility. Natural cork is the oder of the day for the reds, of course, but whites now see Diam 30 to ensure consistent evolution, and all are bottled in Margaux's new proprietary extra-dark glass bottle.