Wine Advisor
Pavie Macquin 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Pavie-Macquin is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon matured in 50% new oak, picked from 7 October (with the young Merlot vines) until 22 October. The pH is 3.35 and it has 14.4% alcohol. I appreciate the intensity of this Pavie-Macquin. This is no shy retiring flower but comes out with cylinders pumping while maintaining the delineation, the detail that you look for. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry, velvety in texture with plenty of luscious red berry fruit, vanilla and a hint of blueberry. It glides across the palate, the new oak neatly integrated. This is easily my pick of Nicolas Thienpont's 2016s and one of the best Pavie-Macquins that I have tasted at this stage.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Pavie-Macquin is an epic wine in the making. Powerful, dense and explosive in the glass, the 2016 is simply dazzling. A rush of dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and licorice builds in a sumptuous, beautifully layered Saint-Émilion that screams with character. More than anything else, the 2016 impresses for the way it balances structure and fruit intensity. The tannins are imposing, but there is a creaminess to the fruit that renders them barely perceptible. A move towards gentler extraction paid off hugely. What a wine!
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Pavie Macquin is a total stunner. Rich, lush and inviting, the 2016 is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Sweet red cherry, plum, rose petal, lavender and mint are all given an extra kick of allure by silky tannins that caress the palate from start to finish. There is a level of precision and nuance here that is simply breathtaking. The purity of the fruit is just mind-boggling.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Pavie-Macquin has a harmonious, intense bouquet of layered black cherry, bilberry and light tobacco notes; the oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, and slightly higher in acidity than I would like, although it has an irresistible silky finish. The question is, where will it go? I have found a little bottle variation and I feel this suffered because the palate might be closing down. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Pavie Maquin, matured in 50% new oak, has a rich, opulent bouquet that doles out layers of black cherry and boysenberry fruit, then finds more refinement and draws everything back once you’ve been seduced. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, grippy in the mouth, with a masculine, minerally finish and a saline aftertaste. Comparing two bottles, one at the London UGC and one at the château, I found that the latter displayed more detail and nuance. 14.5% alcohol.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Pavie Macquin charges out of the glass with gregarious black cherries, warm blackberries and wild blueberries scents followed up by loads of red roses, baking spices, cedar chest and unsmoked cigars sparks plus a waft of wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise, revealing layer upon layer of cherries and berries flavors and tons of savory nuances, framed by firm yet exquisitely ripe tannins, finishing very long.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Pavie Macquin was tasted on two occasions. The bottle at Farr showed signs of oxidation and was not scored. The one at Bordeaux Index’s correlated more closely to previous assessments. It had more delineation and precision compared to the Pavie, very mineral-driven, bright and lively. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, gentle grip, silky smooth, with a precise and delineated, black pepper-tinged finish that is a delight. However, I must add a cautionary question mark to my score because of variation from bottle to bottle.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is a really fantastic PM! The licorice, fresh mushroom, sous bois and stone character is so exciting. It’s full and very layered with exceptional depth and length. Compressed and focused. Pure silk.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is very linear and driven with a precise and driven center palate. Full-bodied, tight and compact. Energetic and well formed. Give it at least five years. Try from 2024.
About the Producer
Located in the Saint-Emilion region on the right bank of the Bordeaux coast, the Chateau Pavie Macquin has been a Premier Grand Cru Classe B in Saint-Emilion since 2006, and its wines are highly sought after for their consistency. Since 1887, Albert Macquin has acquired a number of châteaux, acquiring some 26 hectares of land, thus giving shape to the Château de Berfet-Marcet. Albert was a pioneering agricultural engineer who pioneered and promoted the grafting and transplanting technique when phylloxera was sweeping through France, making a remarkable contribution to the fight against the spread of phylloxera and gaining acclaim in Saint-Emilion and throughout France. Today, the winery is managed by his grandsons Benoit Corre, Bruno Corre, Marie Jacques Charpentier and their children. In 1990, Stephane Derenoncourt, the famous winemaker, joined the estate as a consultant winemaker. A specialist in terroir, Stephane was considered to be the next Michel Rolland, and his wines were often highly regarded. In 1994, Nicolas Thienpont was recruited to run the Château de Pape Marquet. Nicolas comes from the Thienpont family, a well-known Bordeaux wine family with a strong background in winemaking and winery management, and now oversees both Chateau Beausejour Heritiers Duffau Lagarrosse and Château Las Dugas. He is also the owner of two first class B estates, Chateau Larcis Ducasse and Beausejour Heritiers Duffau Lagarrosse. Under the leadership of Stephane and Nicolas, Château Beausejour Heritiers Duffau Lagarrosse has progressed to become a First Growth of Saint-Emilion in 2006. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of 65-100 metres above sea level and covers 15 hectares of land adjacent to the three Grand Crus of Saint-Emilion - Chateau Pavie, Chateau Troplong Mondot and Chateau Trottevieille - and has a privileged terroir. The terroirs are covered with a limestone clay soil with a water-holding layer of stellate limestone 20-150 cm thick, producing fresh, full-bodied, powerful wines with a distinctive mineral flavour. Depending on the terroir of each plot, 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon are planted on the estate, with an average age of over 30 years. The vineyard is managed with respect for the terroir, using organic farming methods, planting companion plants and installing drainage systems to maintain soil vigour and ecological balance. In addition, the vineyard staff keep a close eye on the health of the vines, replanting those that have failed, and strictly controlling the planting density to ensure the production of quality fruit. In addition, the winery team carefully selects old vines and uses their cuttings to grow new vines, thus promoting genetic diversity while maintaining the good characteristics of the old vines. Château Lafite Marquet believes that wine is a joint crystallisation of the soil and the vines, and that it should reflect the delicate balance of the ecological environment, the variability of the vintages and the continuity of the local terroir. For this reason, the winery controls each step of the winemaking process with precision, producing individual grapes from different plots of land to create a wine that reflects the characteristics of the terroir. The grapes are hand-picked, optically screened and destemmed, and then fermented in large open-topped oak barrels for some of the grapes, and in concrete tanks for others. During the fermentation, the winemakers extract the pigments and phenolics from the skins in a gentle pressure cap process. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is transferred to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and is then matured in 60% new French oak barrels for around 18 months, including 6 months of sludge ageing, resulting in a wine with silky tannins, intense and concentrated flavours, freshness and distinctive mineral characteristics. The result is a wine with silky tannins, intense flavours and a fresh, mineral character.
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