Chateau Pavie Macquin Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020

The 2020 Pavie Macquin is one of the most exotic Saint-Émilions of the year. Inky red fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, plum and kirsch all open in the glass. Succulent and racy to the core, the 2020 possesses mind-blowing intensity yet remains fresh, vibrant and full of energy. It is one of the most alluring and complete recent vintages I can remember tasting. In a word: dazzling.

Drink from 2030 to 2055.

Sweet-berry and orange-peel aromas with hints of stone and oak on the nose. Medium-bodied with firm tannins and a fine-grained finish. Restrained plushness to this. Reserved.

There is a richness here, a powerful spread of black fruits, that grabs you from the start. Perhaps less razor precision than the Larcis Ducasse also part of the Nicolas Thienpont stable) but more width and depth of flavour. This has texture and brambled power, sappy saline on the finish, touches of austerity, graphite laced through with grilled cassis and aniseed. Some reduction at this point, will clear over barrel ageing. Tasted several times, and each time the pumice stone and chalk of limestone grips on and will not let go. A yield of 31hl/ha.

Drink from 2028 to 2044.

This cooler, limestone terroir has created a gorgeous 2020 Château Pavie Macquin displaying the classic, pure, elegant style that’s common from this address. Inky colored, with incredible cassis fruits as well as notes of white flowers, candle wax, tobacco leaf, and charcoal, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and a great finish. I love this wine, which has a monster of a mid-palate yet stays tight and focused on the palate, with riveting precision. Based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, it’s going to need a good decade of bottle age but will be incredibly long-lived. Tasted twice.

The 2020 Pavie Macquin has an opaque purple-black color, exploding from the glass with an intoxicating perfume of violets, Ceylon tea, forest floor and eucalyptus over a core of blackberry preserves, Morello cherries and stewed plum, plus wafts of crushed rocks and unsmoked cigars. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energetic red and black fruit layers and loads of floral and earthy sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing tension, finishing with a long-lingering perfume of black fruits. A real head-turner!

Drink 2025 - 2055

The 2020 Pavie-Macquin has a boisterous, attention-grabbing bouquet of opulent blueberry and kirsch scents, a touch of orange pith developing with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet entry, certainly one of the most exotic wines from the estate in recent years, and a luscious finish, where I would like to feel more of the Cabernet Franc. This needs a very prudent élevage.

Drink from 2025 to 2045.