2018 Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, Margaux

The 2018 Pavillon Blanc is made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was picked in August—there was no water stress on the vines at this stage. The wine has a pH of 3.1 and 13.5% alcohol. It leaps from the glass with exuberant green guava, fresh pineapple and apricot scents with hints of mandarin peel, honeysuckle and fresh ginger. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant and very fresh with wonderful, intense tropical layers, finishing very exotic.

Easily one of the best whites that I have tried this year. It's extremely juicy, showing white pear and stone fruits on the nose, with lovely grip and a slatey texture on the palate that suggests minerality, although it doesn't quite have the mineral punch of 2017. It just gets and gets better and better in the glass - a delicious wine with the depth that you expect at this level. Harvest ran from 27 August to 31 September, yielding just 17hl/ha because of the mildew (the vines are 4km from the main estate and were worse affected). The ph is at 3.1, unchanged from last year, helped by the fact that they fraction the juice at Margaux, using just the first, freshest portion for their own wine and selling the rest in bulk.

A very powerful and dense white with loads of dried lemons and cooked peaches. Full-bodied with chewy phenolic tension and texture. Extremely long. Lasts for minutes. Layered!

The 2018 Pavillon Blanc is rich and beautifully layered, with a striking interplay of aromas, flavors and textures. Citrus peel, white flowers and orchard fruit give the 2018 lovely resonance from start to finish. Harvest was about a week earlier than normal, which is to say between August 27-31, before dehydration in the field became an issue. The 2018 captures the natural radiance of the year while retaining terrific freshness as well. In a word: sublime.