Chateau Pavie Macquin 2018

DECANTER: "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. Drinking Window 2027 - 2042"

JEB DUNNUCK: "One of my favorite wines, the 2018 Château Pavie Macquin is 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that comes from a cooler terroir above Pavie. This Cuvée is always hard to judge in its youth, since it's often closed and reserved, but it builds beautifully with bottle age and offers an incredibly classic, complex, powerful, and elegant profile at maturity. Brought up in 70% new French oak, the 2018 reveals a dense purple hue as well as classic Saint-Emilion notes of cassis, black cherries, white truffle, chalky minerality, violets, and tobacco. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it has polished tannins, a wonderfully pure, elegant texture, and the balance and class to benefit from a decade of bottle age and keep for three decades or more."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Pavie Macquin is a blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly, sensuously unfurls to reveal a gorgeous perfume of Black Forest cake, Morello cherries, baked plums and violets, with nuances of licorice, Indian spices and fertile loam. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has achingly plush tannins and fantastic freshness framing the spicy black fruit and mineral layers, finishing long and so, so fragrant. Wow—just stunning!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

WEINWISSER: "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!"

FALSTAFF: "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."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The knockout nose, with all its sensations of cherry, plum liqueur, smoke, licorice, kirsch, flowers and boysenberry is all you need to know this is great wine. On the palate, the wine meshes silk and velvet textured fruits with minerality seamlessly. Long, intense, expansive, stony and character driven, this is going to offer sublime tasting experiences if you can wait for at least 7 years before pulling a cork. The wine blends 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Sleek, pure, aromatic and streamlined version, with lovely cassis, cherry puree, violet and mesquite notes tightly wound together, while anise and savory hints peek in. Long finish is carried by chalky minerality. A wine of poise. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2037."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "94–96. Barrel Sample. 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."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "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."