Description
The key moment in the history of the eponymous château Pavie Macquin comes from the famous Albert Macquin (1852-1911).
From 1887 Macquin purchased the châteaux of La Serre, Peygenestou (5 hectares), Pavie-Chapus (3.7 hectares), Pavie-Pigasse (5.7 hectares) as well as others, totalling what is now Château Pavie-Macquin’s approximately 26 hectares. An agricultural engineer, he popularised grafted plants which would save the vineyard after it was ravaged by phylloxera. He was truly a ‘man of reconstruction’. As Henri Enjalbert wrote, ‘Albert Macquin must be viewed as the grand master of the St Emilion vineyard’s transformation for more than thirty years’. An advocate of Vitis berlandieri, less susceptible to chlorosis, he produced more than a million plants in 1887. He developed scientific vine plot monitoring.
The château is now owned by his three grandchildren, Benoît and Bruno Corre and Marie Jacques Charpentier, as well as their own children. By continuing the tradition of their illustrious ancestry they demonstrate a deep attachment to this wonderful terroir. In late 1994, Maryse Barre’s successor Nicolas Thienpont was made manager of it, supported in his work by Stéphane Derenoncourt who had been working on site since 1990; together they have developed high-quality viticulture which has elevated the château to the prestigious rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé wine.
Blend: 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Critical Acclaim
JS96
James Suckling
The purity and clarity to the nose of this wine are really exceptional with crushed berries, cherries and currants. Fruit and density are so impressive, yet this is so linear on the center palate, which gives it direction and focus. Fabulous. Better than 2009?
WE95
Wine Enthusiast
The tannins cut firmly into the fruit of this impressive wine. They give a dense, dry edge to the ripe berries and fresh acidity. The effect is a juicy wine that has a tough edge. This will take time to develop. Barrel Sample: 93-95
WS94
Wine Spectator
The plum, boysenberry and raspberry fruit is very aromatic, carrying a glossy sheen as this glides along, picking up subtle anise, alder and tobacco notes slowly but steadily through the finish. A graphite edge is buried deep. This should age gracefully thanks to the purity and balance. Best from 2022 through 2032.
JD92
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from two parcels planted on the upper plateau, with a terroir like Troplong-Mondot, the 2014 Château Pavie Macquin is more backward than the 2015 (which is expected) and offers a masculine, firm, edgy style as well as lots of black cherry and currant fruits intermixed with smoked herbs, scorched earth and lots of minerality. This medium to full-bodied 2014 has good concentration, high, integrated acidity, and an age-worthy, classic style that needs 5-6 years of bottle age. It should have three decades of overall longevity.
Rating: 92+
RP91
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2014 Pavie-Macquin has a concentrated bouquet with layers of blackberry and raspberry coulis, infused with potpourri and incense. There is something almost forbidding about the aromatics at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe red berry fruit, a fine line of acidity, although it feels a little soft on the finish when I needed more precision and backbone. Let’s see how this ages in bottle, because I suspect that it will gain more density and structure with 2-3 years of bottle age.
D91
Decanter
Restrained and undemonstrative but less power and more refinement this year. Fresh and minerally with a clean persistent finish.
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