2018 Chateau Pavie-Macquin - St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe

Decanter.com – 98 pts – JA: *This is just so good. Not overly big, it has nuance, sapidity and grace, with space between the lines. It's not sacrificing its concentration but it gives you a chance to get onboard and accompany it along the way. I love the quality of the brambled blackberry and loganberry fruit here, and the touch of austerity that gives a welcome note of bitter chocolate to the finish. It has great tannic grip and there's no question that this will age well, but it's also extremely drinkable now. Tasted several times, and each occasion blew me away. My favourite vintage to date from this property.47hl/ha yields, as in 2016.* - 04/2019

Falstaff Magazin – 97 pts – PM: *Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Facettenreiches Bukett nach Waldbeeren und Edelholz, reife Herzkirschen, frische Orangenzesten, ein Hauch von Vanille und Nougat. Saftig, hochelegant, feine extraktsüße Textur, seidige Tannine, frische Struktur, mineralisch und lange anhaftend, feine Süße im Abgang, sehr harmonisch, tolles Zukunftspotenzial.* - 05/2019

*The 2018 Pavie Macquin is deep garnet-purple colored and a little closed to begin, slowly revealing subtle notions of dark chocolate, candied violets and rose hip tea over a core of plum preserves, blueberry compote and cherry coulis plus wafts of woodsmoke and crushed stones. Full-bodied, the palate has a seriously impressive structure of ripe, firm, velvety tannins and bold freshness carrying off all that rich black fruit, finishing very long and mineral laced.* (95-97/100)

WeinWisser – 19/20pts - WL: *Tiefes Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem rubinrotem Rand. Sehr komplexes schwarzbeeriges Bouquet, Zwetschgenröster, frischer Espresso und Schokopastillen, dahinter edle Fliedernote und Schattenmorellensaft. Am dicht verwobenen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, engmaschigem Tanningerüst und muskelbepacktem Körper. Im sehr lang anhaltenden Finale tiefschürfende dunkle Terroirwürze, Wildkirschenessenz und erhabene Adstringenz – Grandiose Leistung von Cyril Thienpont!* – 04/2021

*Packed with very expressive boysenberry and red currant paste aromas and flavors, this is dense and fleshy in feel, but has the energy to easily carry it off. Lots of chalky cut on the long finish. Rock-solid.* - (95-98/100)

JancisRobinson.com – 17/20pts – JR: *Tasted blind. Interesting, well-balanced nose with intrigue and lift. Very fresh on the palate. Very much a non-pastiche wine! Very dry finish. But perhaps a style to be encouraged? Quite long.* - 01/2022

*Quel vin ! Couleur rouge sombre, de bonne intensité, belle et profonde. Nez intense, fin, au fruité mûr, complexe et profond. Pour la première fois, ce vin débute aérien en bouche. Il avance gras, complexe et profond au milieu sur des notes de cerise noire. Il vient s'achever très long, savoureux et noble sur le grain de tannin le plus beau jamais vu ici. Pavie Macquin livre ici une expression quintessentielle de son terroir et le plus grand millésime de son histoire. Bravo! * (98/100)(

JamesSuckling.com – 97-98pts - JS: *This is a decadent and beautiful young wine with wild aromas and flavors of meat, wet earth and plums. Very complex. Full-bodied yet soft and very velvety. The tannins melt into the wine, as if they aren’t there. Extremely long finish. 78 per cent merlot, 20 per cent cabernet franc and two per cent cabernet sauvignon.*
JamesSuckling.com – 97pts - JS: *Violets, blackcurrants, cloves, tobacco, orange zest and dark chocolate on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and fresh acidity. Sleek and refined with elegant floral and spice notes on a long finish. Interesting hint of bitterness at the end. Try from 2025.* - 01/2021

Vinous.com – 95 pts – AG: *The 2018 Pavie Macquin is voluptuous and exotic to the core. Super-ripe black cherry, plum, mocha, espresso, licorice and chocolate all race out of the glass. Pliant, supple and silky, the 2018 is lights out. This is an especially heady, flamboyant style, so readers should be prepared for a pretty intense Saint-Émilion. That said, the new oak has now integrated quite nicely.* - 03/2021

*The pure black currant fruits of this exemplary wine are matched with bright acidity and ripe, solid tannins. It is impressively rich and will certainly age well.* (94-96/100)

Vinous.com – 96 pts – NM: *The 2018 Pavie Macquin was impressive out of barrel. It has retained its opulent bouquet, perhaps becoming even more luxuriant and plush, offering copious black cherries, cassis and violet aromas and hints of vanilla pod and iodine in the background. The palate is where this really impresses, because its opulence is effortlessly counterbalanced by a bead of acidity that imparts freshness and tension. This is a multilayered Pavie-Macquin endowed with tremendous length on the aftertaste. Even after 60 seconds I can still feel this Saint-Émilion lapping upon my senses. Superb.* - 03/2021