Pavie Macquin 2021 (750ML)

96 JS / 95 DE / 93-95 JD / 94+ AG / 94 JA / 92-94+ WI / 93 WA / 93 VM

A very juicy and rounded young 2021 with berry, chocolate, cedar, balsamic, and redwood aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Velvety tannins. Excellent finish. Extremely well done for the vintage. 79% merlot, 19% cabernet franc and 2% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2028. - James Suckling

Iris and raspberry notes on the nose, delicately floral but fresh and lively - just shy of mouthwatering acidity - but enough to create such a lift on the first taste which has a juicy effect. The acidity is nicely balanced but this has such a gentle charm, a suaveness and sensuality to it, tannins are sleek and agile with some bitter dark chocolate and slate edges while the fruit is full of black cherry, plum and blueberry touches. But it’s the texture and the aromatic display that are so captivating - having density and weight but no heaviness. You get the ripeness in the flavour but the overall feeling remains cool and refreshing with tension and terroir on show in the wet stone nuance underpinning the fruit. Just pure grace and precision. An exceptional effort for the estate's 150th vintage. 'The worst thing on the label is the vintage' says general director Marielle Cazeaux "because people think it’s bad, but this is really the DNA of La Conseillante". 3.6pH. Merlot picked from 28th September to 1st October, Cabernet Franc on the 6th and 12th October. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2021 Château Pavie Macquin is a more forward, textured, charming wine from this estate that still has plenty of classic Pavie Macquin class, freshness, and minerality, which is the hallmark of this terroir. Coming from a cooler site just above Château Pavie, the 2021 is a blend of 79% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, from a selection of 80% of the production. Harvest here started on the 4th of October for the Merlot and finished on the 19th of October for the Cabernet, and the wine spent 30-35 days on skins in a mix of open top wood and concrete tanks and is currently resting in 50% new French oak barrels. Its deep purple hue is followed by terrific aromatics of blue fruits, violets, and chalky minerality, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, rounded tannins, good mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This cuvée always needs bottle age, but I suspect this will be one of the more approachable vintages for this wine. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2021 Pavie Macquin is deep, bold and luscious, but within the smaller-scaled style of the year. It is an intensely aromatic, savory Grand Vin that emphasizes finesse more than sheer power. I admire its understated elegance more than anything else. Bright acids drive through a core of black cherry fruit, mocha, spice, new leather and licorice. This beautifully balanced, harmonious Saint-Émilion captures the essence of the vintage in style. Tasted two times. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Beautifully poised, dark ruby in colour, full of rippled fruit flavours, stands out in the appellation. It hasn't got miraculously riper than all the rest but it is handled with skill, and has a truly juicy mouthwatering finish and slate tannins that show grip and tenacity against the serious, austere structure. Expect raspberry, greengage and redcurrant fruits that need to fatten out a little over ageing, but everything is in place to do so. This is the plateau speaking. 37hl/h yield, harvest October 4 to 19, 50% new oak. Tasted twice. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2021 Pavie Macquin charges out of the gate with bold notions of blackberry pie, red currant jelly and kirsch, plus hints of crushed rocks, pencil shavings, and violets. Medium-bodied, the palate has beautiful restraint and elegance, featuring a quiet intensity of black and red berry flavors, framed by plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

The 2021 Pavie Macquin offers up aromas of cherries, blackberries and raspberries mingled with mint, spices and bay leaf. Medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of fruit framed by chalky tannins that assert themselves on the comparatively structured, mineral finish, it's a strong effort. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

The 2021 Pavie Maquin has an exquisite bouquet in context of the growing season, very pure with black plum, redcurrant jus, cassis and violet flowers—lovely definition here. The palate is medium-bodied and cohesive with fine tannins, linear in style but with impressive tension and mineralité. Touches of white pepper and flint surface toward the finish, completing a Saint-Émilion that has perhaps meliorated slightly during its élevage. This comes highly recommended. - Neal Martin, Vinous Media