Chateau Pavie Macquin 2017

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

DECANTER: "Powerful but well-rounded and carefully extracted, this has the St-Emilion confident power but tons of wonderful slate character to hold everything in check. There are walls of damson and dark chocolate that you can climb here, and it climbs right out of the 2017 pigeonhole. Great stuff, one of the best in the lineup, and a definite step-up from how it was showing En Primeur."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Coming from a cool terroir located on the upper plateau, just behind Chateau Pavie, the 2017 Chateau Pavie Macquin checks in as a mix of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc that spent 16 months in 70% new French oak. This wine is always closed, tannic, and hard to understand in its youth, yet blossoms with 7-8 years of bottle age. The 2017 sports a deep, purple/ruby color as well as beautiful notes of black raspberries, cassis, huge minerality, white flowers, and loamy earth. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet silky and seamless on the palate, it doesn't have the sheer weight and flesh of the 2015 and 2016 yet is flawlessly balanced, has terrific tannins, and a great finish. It will be drinkable with just 4-6 years of bottle age and cruise for 15-20 years or more."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "With a strong sense of minerality, flowers, smoke, red pit fruits and licorice, the wine lets you know it's going to be good. After sensing the concentration, freshness and sweetness in the berries, you get the same idea. But the wine will take 7-8 years to soften and come around."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine is driven by power and dense tannins. Weight and concentration are keys to the wine's potential. At the same time, the juicy fruit and richness promise well for the future. Drink this big wine from 2024."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Features a delightfully pure aromatic burst of cassis and cool plum fruit leading off, followed by a rush of violet and lilac notes that add lift. Underneath, a subtle graphite edge injects sneaky length through the finish. Built on purity and cut. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2040. 4,833 cases made."

WEINWISSER: "Dichtes Rubinrot mit violetten Reflexen. Enorme, verführerische Fruchtintensität mit blaubeerigen Noten: Alpenheidelbeeren, Brombeeren, und Holunder. Am geschmeidigen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur und enorm saftiger Frische und Präzision, die dem Wein eine tolle Finesse und Animation verleihen."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, frische Mandarinen, dunkle Beerenfrucht und Kirschen unterlegt, ein Hauch von reifen Zwetschken, zarter Nougat. Stoffig, elegant, ausgewogen, feine, tragende Tannine, Kirschen im Abgang, mineralisch und anhaftend, sehr gutes Zukunftspotenzial."