Wine Advisor
Peter Michael, L'Esprit des Pavots 2020
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Erin Brooks
The 2020 L'Esprit des Pavots is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc and 29% Merlot, with 72% Knights Valley fruit and 28% Oakville fruit. Opaque ruby in color, it has pure, layered scents of red plum and cherry, mint chocolate, rose petals, soy sauce and cedar. The full-bodied palate features restrained, mineral-driven fruit and loads of floral character. It has abundant, finely grained tannins, energetic acidity and a long, perfumed finish. Drinkable straight from the bottle, enjoy it over the next 5-7 years. 1,161 cases were made. This will be released in July of 2023.
About the Producer
The vineyards of Pete Mack winery spread out down the top of the slope deep in the valley, with a slope of about 40 degrees. The soil is volcanic ash, the soil surface is covered with volcanic stones, and the water permeability is very good. Grape varieties grown are: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Taste and more (Petit Verdot) and so on. The grapes here have high planting density, long growing period, good maturity, low yield and strong fruit flavor, which are very suitable for making top wines. All the wine grapes at Pete Mack are harvested by hand and the grapes are meticulously classified. In the late 1980s, the winery pioneered the use of natural yeasts to ferment with grapes, resulting in wines that exhibit more complex fruit aromas with amazing texture, roundness and depth. All of the winery's top wines, including Chardonnay, are not filtered prior to bottling because filtration is detrimental to the ageing process of Chardonnay. The most famous red wine of Pete Mack is Les Pavots Proprietary Red. The blending operation of this red wine varies from year to year, but the blending ingredients generally include at least 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% to 15% Cabernet Franc, and will use 60% new French oak barrels. The wines are even wider and deeper than most Bordeaux wines. The best recent vintages for the winery's Chardonnay white wines are: 2003, 2002, 2001, 1997, 1996 and 1983; the best recent vintages for Poppy Gardens red wines are: 2002, 2001, 1997 , 1994, 1992 and 1991.
