Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve: The wine has the added benefit of truly wonderful Merlot grapes, and we arrive at an unparalleled quality of lively substance and stylish flavor. But Alter Ego can be fresher and more sensual. For those who cannot afford the grand vin (99.99% of the population), Pavillon Rouge is more than a consolation prize. 18

Michael Schuster: Gently scented, subtle, ripe fruit and minerals on the nose; beautifully balanced middleweight wine, with a lovely core of fruit, a very refined tannin, and a fresh acidity; sweetly, juicily, classily ripe; complex, intense in flavor, sweet, pure, scented, and with a marked minerality; vivid, gently classy, beautifully sustained along the palate, and very persistent in aftertaste. By some way, the finest Pavillon yet. 2015–25+. 16.5/17