2006 Pavillon Blanc du Ch Margaux

Complex nose and then some sweetness. Fresh too and well balanced though it has not yet fully developed. Quite weighty and with fruit-derived richness. Dry finish. Intriguing. (JR)

Paul Pontallier: ‘I know everyone thinks there is Sémillon in here, and this year even I must admit that I find a little Riesling and even a little Roussanne’. Very low production – even lower than usual. 12hl/ha because of spring frost which touches this parcel only not the reds. ‘We made a mistake with deciding when to operate the frost protection system but with great results!’ 100% new oak. Very pale straw. Heady and quite evolved – almost lime syrup note with a hint of orange blossom – already more open than many dry white Graves. Again those exotic floral notes as in Laville – wonderful minerality. Will 2006 launch a renewed interest in white wines? I do hope so! A certain richness as well as very tight finish – lovely wine!!!15.1% but very well hidden. A bit like 2005? Great minerality – more complexity than the 2005. Bravissimo! Already delicious – though presumably it will close down subsequently. Much more mineral than most vintages. A little more acid than ‘05. (JR)

(15.2% alcohol) Very pale color. Crystallized ginger, candied grapefruit, lime skin, melon and mint on the nose. Rich and quite primary, combining very ripe yellow fruit notes with more bracing licorice and mint. Very dense and quite dry, even a bit youthfully aggressive today. (This actually has 2.2 grams per liter of residual sugar, which is a definite positive for the balance of this outsized wine.) Conveys a tactile sense of mineral dust. The yield here was just 12 hectoliters per hectare due to spring frost, according to estate manager Paul Pontallier, and some lots came in with 16% potential alcohol. Very concentrated, palate-staining with a long pineappley finish that leaves the mouth feeling fresh.