Peter Michael Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots 2019 (750ML)

99 JS / 98 JD / 96 VM / 95 JA

#60 Jeb Dunnuck's Top 100 2022

This is very perfumed with blackberry and pine-cone aromas, as well as raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins that are tight-grained. Creamy and beautiful. Currant and graphite flavors come through. Lightly chewy at the end. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 14% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Drink after 2025.—James Suckling

The 2019 Les Pavots is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the remainder Petit Verdot. It has unfolding layers of dark minerals, with graphite, boysenberry liqueur, and fresh leather. The palate is expressive of its mountain fruit, with more gripping structure but no harsh edges. This is a remarkable wine to hold a few years and enjoy over the following two decades.-Jeb Dunnuck

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots is a dense, powerful wine that is going to need at least a few years to shed some baby fat. A rush of blue/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, tobacco, grilled herbs and incense washes across the palate. There's terrific depth, but the 2019 is so young. The 2019 is one of the more refined young Les Pavots I can remember tasting. It will be exquisite in another few years' time.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The welcoming spicy embrace of a Sonoma mountain Cabernet, with its shot of freshly cut herbs, rosemary, dill, cracked black pepper, silky tannins, a good kick of acidity through the final moments. It has the gourmet black chocolate and opulence of California, but it is loaded up with juicy acidity. Luc Morlet consultant (was previously the winemaker). If you are worried about California Cabs being too big or unapproachable, this is just a glorious place to get to know their potential. 100% new oak.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux