Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux 2010

This is lovely, with a powerful backdrop of graphite and tar, harnessed by flavors of velvety plum, steeped fig and black currant preserves. The long incense- and black tea-filled finish completes the seduction. Refined, defined and poised. Best from 2014 through 2025.

Dense and structured, this second wine from Château Margaux is magnificent. There are hints of bitter chocolate, along with tarry fruit. It is very textured, just hinting at extraction. The tannins are rounded and velvet-like in character. It's a wine for medium-term aging.

The second wine, the 2010 Pavillon Rouge (essentially two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest mostly Merlot with small quantities and Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) looks to be a wine to age for 20 or more years, but it is quite drinkable already. Soft, supple and luscious, with oodles of blue and black fruits, the floral character one expects, and not a trace of herbaceousness, oak or aggressiveness, this is a beautiful, round, generous wine to drink over the next 18-20 years.