2002 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux

Sadly, because of space limitations, it was not possible to include tasting notes for this wine. However, readers should be aware that neither 2003 nor 2002 was a great vintage for white wines. Normally these wines can be extremely long-lived, lasting 20-25, sometimes 30+ years.

Very pale color. Pungent aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, quinine, mint and spices. Extremely dense and intensely flavored, with terrific racy acids framing and extending the grapefruit and spice flavors. Uncommonly fresh in the middle and tactile on the back end. Perhaps less rich than the superb 2000 but with even stronger acidity and equal persistence.

Fresh, blossomy nose that's creamy and very penetrating. Very neat and concentrated, still quite astringent, very persistent and extremely impressive in that it seems wonderfully refreshing and concentrated but gives no hint that it is as much as 14.8 per cent alcohol (a record). Pontallier reckons that the 2001, which had the same alcohol, has more fat. If Pontallier is right in that these wines need to be drunk either pretty young or quite old then likely brackets would be 2004-2006 and 2010-2014. (JR)