2009 Pavillon Blanc du Ch Margaux (Bordeaux)

Spicy, slightly stinky, catty nose. Rather more lift than in some recent vintages. Lanolin and richness but lots of lemon and grapefruit too. They are picking a bit earlier and not including the very ripest grapes because the alcohols were getting just a bit too high – sometimes over 15%. This was `scary`, they started reacting in 2008 but nature helped. Much reduced crop... Minerals and tension quite different from the old fat style. Very interesting. Should age longer. Perhaps less distinctive – more like a particularly refined Pessac-Léognan? 17 points