The Pavillon Blanc harvest took place between the 2nd and 8th of September, slightly later than in recent years. Harvest conditions were ideal, with no health issues in the vineyard, enabling us to harvest at a calm, steady pace. The mild summer temperatures and absence of heat spikes favoured gradual ripening, preserving the balance between freshness and concentration. As always, our teams started early in the morning to harvest the berries at the coolest possible temperatures for optimal preservation of their aromas and flavours. On our 11 hectares dedicated to sauvignon blanc, plot selection plays a key role in the wine’s production. All our white grape plots are harvested and vinified separately in the modern winery designed by Norman Foster. Conceived to combine precision and excellence, these winemaking facilities allow each batch to be treated with meticulous care, further refining our quest to achieve the purest possible expression of sauvignon blanc. In our pursuit of perfection, we have applied even more rigorous standards. In recent years, less than half of the harvest has been used for Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux with the remainder going to the Pavillon Blanc Second Vin. This enables us to further refine the Pavillon Blanc style.
Margaux
Climate
Weather factors impacting the 2024 vintage began in 2023 with exceptional amounts of rain. From autumn onwards, there was an unusually intense accumulation of rainfall for several months. Between the 18th of October and the 28th of March, more than 1,000 mm of rain fell in the vineyard, surpassing the previous record for rainiest vintage by 300 mm. With mild winter temperatures, 3°C higher than historical averages in March, the abundance of water and warmth provided ideal conditions for the vines to start their growth cycle well ahead of schedule. Bud break occurred between the 22nd and 25th of March, 7 to 10 days earlier than in recent years. However, the wet weather continued, setting the pace for the entire growing season. While some past great vintages, such as 2000, had similar rainfall, what set 2024 apart was the frequency of rainy days. Access to the plots became a constant challenge, and the omnipresent threat of downy mildew meant that teams had to remain vigilant at all times. In this challenging context, flowering was slightly delayed, spanning from the 31st of May to the 7th of June. Véraison, when the grapes change colour, took place between the 9th and 23rd of August, and was reminiscent of vintages such as 2014 and 2016, confirming a growth cycle significantly influenced by wet weather. Faced with these conditions, the vines reacted in contrasting fashions. Plots with very cool, deep soil suffered from downy mildew, particularly affecting the volumes destined for our third wine, Margaux du Château Margaux. Conversely, our gravelly terroirs, with better drainage and earlier ripening, were able to preserve their potential and produce some of the finest grapes of the vintage. While the weather conditions put the vines to the test, they did not compromise the exacting stan - dards and precision with which our teams work on every Château Margaux vintage. With an average yield of 30 hl/ha, the sorting carried out by our pickers in the vineyards was more rigorous than ever, highlighting the most resilient terroirs and offering an optimal balance between concentra - tion and finesse.