Château Pavie Macquin

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pavie Macquin comes charging out of the glass with exuberant scents of warm black cherries, blackberry pie and wild blueberry coulis plus hints of menthol, licorice, candied violets and charcuterie. Medium-bodied, the palate is an exercise in precision and poise, featuring a beautiful frame of wonderfully ripe, very fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and multilayered. Simply stunning! The blend here is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels, 70% new.

Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Sweet red-berry fruit, leather and a hint of dried leaves on the nose. The palate has an oily entry with fleshy red fruit at the core. Wood tannins and leathery spice, with hints of cocoa and mocha line the palate. As with many ambitious right-bank reds, the smoke of oak feels heavy-handed for the fruit potential of the vintage.

A mouth-filling wine with supple and complete tannins that are caressing and engaging. Fascinating aromas and flavors of blackberries, iodine and violets. Extremely long and beautiful. Wait until 2024.