The 1998 Pavie Macquin was the winning bottle in the November Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for 30 minutes and served with a Tri-Tip roast.
Chateau Pavie-Macquin gets its name from Albert Macquin, its 19th century owner. His descendants, the Corre-Macquin family, still own the 37-acre estate, which is in the Right Bank appellation of Saint-Emilion. The estate’s vineyards are on the top of a plateau and are adjacent to the famous vineyards of Troplong Mondot and Pavie. The Winemaker is Nicolas Thienpont. Vineyards are planted to 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Parker has written that “this estate…has become one of the stars of Saint-Emilion.” In the 2006 reclassification of Saint- Emilion Pavie Macquin was promoted to Premier Grand Cru.
Purple in color. 13.5% ABV. As this was poured into the decanter aromas of earth, stone, violets, pencil, leather and cherry literally filled the room. I could have stopped right here and just smelled the wine for the rest of the night. Perfectly balanced, silky, complex and elegant. Plum, cherry, tobacco, currant, and cassis on the palate. Suave and silky tannins on the incredibly long finish. Gorgeous wine right now but I will save my last few bottles to drink over the next 4-6 years. Simply a triumph from a great vintage on the Right Bank.
My rating: 96 points.
Back vintages of Pavie Macquin are worth searching for. The ’98 can be found for around $100 and other vintages like 01, 05, 06 and 08 range in price from $50-$150. The ’09 and ’10 are worthy of your attention as well but will set you back well over $125.
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Nice bottle note on the 98 Pavie Macquin, Tom! I’ve got a few of these, so I’ll have to try one before the end of the year. I’m curious how my tasting notes will compare with yours. Additionally, I’m wondering how the 98 Macquin compares with the 98 Tertre Roteboeuf after 15 years of age.