Pavillon Rouge 2021

Soft rose-touched blackcurrants, really quite delicate and pretty yet also expressive, the aromas clearly discernible in the glass with a vivid pink-purple rim. So smooth and quite sensuous, you get the crushed velvet texture and thrashing acidity straight away, giving a round mouth, with these spikes of piquancy from the Petit Verdot. Really quite perfumed too. Vibrant with an excellent aromatic display and so much freshness. It’s on the tightrope – balancing the austerity and the plushness, the richness and the delicacy, the acidity and the structure. Tastes young and sparky, like a racing car ready to go, all energetic and buzzed. A great second wine. 4% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. Drinking Window: 2026-2040. Score – 93. (Georgina Hindle, decanter.com)