2018 Château Pavie-Macquin, Grand Cru Classé St-Emilion

The 2018 Pavie Macquin is deep garnet-purple colored and a little closed to begin, slowly revealing subtle notions of dark chocolate, candied violets and rose hip tea over a core of plum preserves, blueberry compote and cherry coulis plus wafts of woodsmoke and crushed stones. Full-bodied, the palate has a seriously impressive structure of ripe, firm, velvety tannins and bold freshness carrying off all that rich black fruit, finishing very long and mineral laced.

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.

This is a decadent and beautiful young wine with wild aromas and flavors of meat, wet earth and plums. Very complex. Full-bodied yet soft and very velvety. The tannins melt into the wine, as if they aren’t there. Extremely long finish. 78 per cent merlot, 20 per cent cabernet franc and two per cent cabernet sauvignon.

The 2018 Pavie Macquin is terrific. Ample, creamy and flamboyant, Pavie Macquin possesses extraordinary richness and intensity. Super-ripe dark cherry, raspberry, chocolate, spice, new leather, lavender and violets build in a wine of real pedigree. To be sure, Pavie Macquin is a big wine that is going to need a number of years in bottle to be at its best. The flamboyant style may not appeal to every palate. Today, the new oak is a bit imposing, but élevage should take care of that. Tasted three times.