2021 Pavillon Rouge du Margaux, Margaux

Rich and intense on the nose, fragranced red and pink flowers with red cherries and plums. Really vibrant pink rim to the glass too. Touches of dark chocolate, cedar and green pepper, herbal, and eucalyptus. Round and vibrant, a playfulness - super high acidity, almost sharp and tart and tangy, with grippy tannins that give the texture and structure. Half crushed velvet and half lean and austere so you get both weight and direction. Feels quite youthful and buzzy right now but this has a nice juiciness, great fresh acidities, bite on the tongue, a clean - wet stone slate feeling and texture. A touch of green peppercorn and toast gives the spicy angles and the minerality on the finish. Well constructed, not the most easy to drink at the moment, this is more serious, but there's good potential and a lot of flavour. It has a certain intensity, a touch of green leeness sets it apart from being totally charming right now, but this certainly carries interest and nuance. (GH)