Pavillon Blanc 2020

The purity of a Château Margaux white wine

The estate

With origins dating back to the 12th century, Château Margaux is a legendary estate and one of the most prestigious Classified Growths of Bordeaux. In 1855, the château was awarded the title of First Classified Growth and was one of only four estates to obtain a rating of twenty out of twenty. With the acquisition of the property by André Mentzelopoulos in 1977, Château Margaux is today writing a new page in its history. Having elevated the Grand Vin of Château Margaux to the highest level of quality, Mentzelopoulos also reintroduced the château’s Second Wine, the Pavillon Rouge of Château Margaux, first produced in 1908. Following in the footsteps of her late father, Corinne Mentzelopoulos took over the family estate and, with her energy and passion, elevated the Château Margaux estate to that of a masterpiece, recognised by wine lovers around the world by its neo-Palladian allure. Vintage after vintage, the estate's wines are among the greatest in the world.

The vineyard

The Château Margaux vineyard owes its unique character to its rare terroir, situated upon an outcropping of gravel. The vineyard of the property gives pride of place to the area's flagship red grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, which is complemented by Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The clay-limestone soils of the estate produce legendary wines with a distinguished and sensual allure, so representative of the Margaux appellation.

The wine

The 2020 vintage celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Pavillon Blanc bottling by Château Margaux. This is a wine produced in the Bordeaux dry white wines appellation and is the successor to the “Château Margaux vin blanc de Sauvignon,” produced since the 18th century.

The vintage

The year 2020 was marked by some of the highest temperatures ever recorded, due in particular to successive peaks of heat, and a particularly hot and dry summer. The rainy days at the end of 2019 preceded a very mild winter, leading to early bud burst (from March 22 to 26, depending on the grape variety, i.e. 10 days ahead of the norm). While the high temperatures in spring promoted homogeneous flowering without coulure or millerandage, the heavy rainfall led to strong pest pressure, which was controlled by the teams at the château. The summer season brought heat waves and drought. No rain was recorded from June 19 to August 10. Veraison took place between July 23 and 26. The thunderstorms during the month of August reduced the impact of water stress by lowering the temperature, thus limiting the sunburn of the grapes and helping to conserve the acid potential of the fruit. Ideal conditions characterised the month of September, with sunny days, low rainfall and cool nights recorded. The harvest began on August 24 with the primary objective being to preserve the acidity of the grapes, a major element lending aromatic freshness and persistence to the palate.

The blend

The Pavillon Blanc 2020 by Château Margaux was made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

The tasting

Product of a rigorous selection and made from only the very best lots, the Pavillon Blanc 2020 by Château Margaux seduces with its elegance, subtlety and purity.