PAVILLON ROUGE
2013 du Château Margaux Château Margaux
The 2013 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux, which represents only 21% of the harvest, is composed of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It possesses a medium ruby color as well as sweet kirsch and currant fruit intermixed with hints of spice box and loamy soil undertones. This soft, supple 2013 does not reveal any aggressive tannins, so it can be consumed over the next 7-8 years. 2014-2022 Rating: 87-88 Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Aug 2014)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Rating: 85-87 Ian d'Agata - Stephen Tanzer website (May 2014)
Firm and fresh the nose has an attractive bilberry and bramble mix with sweeter flavours on the start of the palate. There is mid depth sweet quite supple well handled tannins then towards the back it feels fresher lighter some red fruits some bilberry and bramble. 2018-30 Rating: 90-93 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (May 2014)
Unlike the grand vin at Château Margaux, the second wine contains some Merlot (10%). It’s quite pale in colour, but it’s a very pure, red fruited wine with a good backbone of Cabernet (84%), fresh acidity and appealing aromatics. 2016-22 Rating: 92 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2014)
(84 Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 Merlot, 4 Petit Verdot, 2 Cabernet Franc) 38% was made into the Grand Vin, 21% was Pavilion and 41% was made into the third wine Margaux de Château Margaux and also sold off in bulk. This is a smooth, silky, typically sexy wine with tender fruit and it is not too oaky. This vintage shows off the best terroirs and also which properties know how to save a vintage! Margaux has the knowhow and the cash and the result is a juicy, mulberry-soaked wine with lovely harmony and a neat finish. If there is a criticism, it lacks true complexity but it is very forward and delicious and no one will mind! Rating: 16.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2014)
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Violets and black cherry, but a certain herbal edge too. Light body, very well-crafted smooth tannins. Beautifully balanced – seamless and effortless, but missing some substance. (RH) Drink 2016-2020. Rating: 16+ Richard Hemming MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2014)
Deep red, fragrant and elegant nose, quite discreet now purity, class and balance for the future. Drink: 2017-2026. Rating: 16.75 Steven Spurrier (Apr 2014)
A very perfumy, elegant style, with sandalwood, rooibos tea and bergamot notes, backed by fine, dusty structure and a lingering hint of cherry paste. The selection here was just 21 percent of the crop, and this is the smallest amount of Pavillon Rouge ever produced. Tasted non-blind. Rating: 87–90 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2014)
This is so delicious and savory now, with plum, light meat and berry character. Full body, soft tannins, juicy finish. You really want to drink this. Rating: 88-89 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2014)
The Pavillon Rouge consists of just 21% of the harvest - the smallest proportion ever since much is not deselected into the third wine or sold off. It has a rather broody bouquet the demands some encouragement, but eventually reveals blackberry, cold stone and just a touch of violet. Indeed, the floral component comes through strongly with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with good acidity and tension. There is perhaps a little more coarseness compared to recent vintages on the entry, although the finish is cohesive and with a delicate touch of black pepper. Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries and mint meld together in the 2013 Pavillon Rouge. Understated, classy and impeccable, the 2013 stands out for its graceful personality. This is a very pretty, if somewhat light-bodied Pavillon Rouge. At just 21% of the chateau's total production, the 2013 is also the smallest vintage ever of Pavillon Rouge. The blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 88-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2014)
Château Margaux
1855 classification - Premier Grand Cru Classé
Margaux, originally La Mothe de Margaux, has a long history dating back to at least the 12th Century. By the 17th Century, Château Margaux was widely recognised for the quality of its wines - in 1771 it was the first wine sold by Christies, and Thomas Jefferson bought some Margaux when he was Ambassador to France. The French Revolution was a turbulent time for Margaux but, by the turn of the 19th Century, the estate was in the hands of the Basque Marquis de la Colonilla whose singular contribution was to build the château that we see today. Margaux's reputation was recognised by the 1855 classification which placed it among the elite group of Premier Grand Cru Classés.
By the 1960s, however, Margaux was trading as much on reputation as anything else and a run of poor vintages in the 1970's led Margaux to be sold. This was its salvation, for the purchaser was André Mentzelopoulos who, despite some rumblings of discontent locally at such a grand property falling into 'foreign' hands, poured in investment, replanting the vineyards, building a new underground cellar and renovating the château. Also more than renovated was Margaux's reputation as one of Bordeaux's leading estates, a reputation it now richly deserves, still under the benevolent eye of the Mentzelopoulos family. André's daughter Corinne ran the property for an astonishing 43 years, but in 2023 handed over to her son Alexis Leven-Mentzelopoulos. Corinne's daughter Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos will work alongside her brother. Alexis is firmly committed to continuing the family objective of making Château Margaux one of the greatest wines in the world. The managing director is Philippe Bascaules, who took over from the much-missed Paul Pontallier in 2016.
Château Margaux is a large estate, running to 262ha, although under vine there are only 87 hectares of red and 12 hectares of white. For red wines the vines are Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Cabernet Franc 3%, Petit Verdot 3%, Merlot 20%. Barrels are made in the château's own cooperage, the reds spending eighteen months to two years in new wood. In recent vintages the proportion of Cabernet in the Grand Vin has increased significantly.
The second wine of the estate is Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux which has been produced since the 19th Century, making it among the longest established of such wines, and there's now a third (since 2013) and even a fourth wine.
Château Margaux also produce a very successful white wine - Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux - 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged in wood for six months. This is classified as AOC Bordeaux as there is no appellation for white Margaux.
Aprroximate annual production is:
Château Margaux: 120,000 bottles
Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux: 100 000 bottles.
Margaux du Château Margaux: 60 000 bottles.
Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux: 10 000 bottles.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.