2001 Pavillon Blanc

The huge 2000 Margaux is a wine with a tendency to erase anything tasted next to it, but until I put the 2000 in my mouth I certainly enjoyed my young sample of the 2001. Estate manager Paul Pontallier describes the 2000 as "extraordinary and flamboyant; from the start the wine exploded in the mouth." The 2001, according to Pontallier, "doesn't pretend to be extraordinary. It's in a more linear style but it may be as long as the 2000." For the first time ever, the 2001 features more petit verdot (7.4%) than merlot (7.3%), as the former grape was exceptionally ripe in 2001. The trio of outstanding reds I tasted at Margaux did not overshadow a freakishly dense and rich 2001 Pavillon Blanc, made from a yield of just 28 hectoliters per hectare.