Another wine that’s going to flirt with perfection is the 2022 Château Pavie Macquin, and this might be the finest vintage I’ve ever tasted from this address. A blend of 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon, it reveals an inky purple hue as well as a stunning bouquet of pure cassis, liquid black raspberries, truffle, scorched earth, and graphite. Full-bodied, concentrated, and massive on the palate, it may be the largest-scaled Pavie Macquin ever produced. But don’t let that scare you off – it stays flawlessly balanced, has pure, fine-grained tannins, and a great finish. I’ll be a buyer.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98+ JDPerfumed and aromatic, smells rich but not too intensely with roses and soft purple flowers. Succulent and really quite crisp and clear, such clarity to the fruit, with both a sharpness of acidity and mineral bite to the tannins. Liquorice, blue fruits, cool chalky tones, You get a sense of the power and structure, it’s wide and full, thick but keeping the freshness and tension with super high acidity giving the mouthwatering nature and a touch of austerity. Precise and detailed with energy and tension as well as depth and clarity. Great potential. A yield of 31hl/ha.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Pavie Macquin, 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, is deep garnet-purple in color. It is quite closed to start off, revealing scents of cedar chest and dried roses before giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of blackberry pie, Morello cherries, and boysenberry preserves, plus suggestions of Indian spices and cast-iron pan. The full-bodied palate is super-taut and muscular, delivering a firm frame of ripe, grainy tannins and fantastic tension to support all the tightly wound layers, finishing very long and minerally. Likely to require considerable patience before it hits its stride, its a Pavie Macquin for marathon runners, not sprinters.The Wine Independent | 96-98+ TWIThe 2022 Pavie Macquin is a gorgeous wine, not quite as exotic as it can be, which will no doubt please those who find this wine on the richer side within the context of Saint-Émilion. Dark red fruit, chalk, mint, white pepper and spice all race across the palate. Given the small size of the berries and the heat, the winemaking team led by Nicolas Thienpont opted for gentler vinification with fewer punchdowns than the past. The result is a decidedly linear, vibrant Pavie Macquin that bristles with the chalky, saline energy that is a signature of this part of Saint-Émilion, but that has not always been present in a wine that in the past has been more about textural opulence. The blend is 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted four times.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThis site can deliver such powerful, tannic wines that I was left especially impressed by the supple, harmonious style of the 2022 Pavie Macquin. Unwinding in the glass with notions of sweet wild berries, rose petals, spices, violets, bay leaf and new oak, it’s full-bodied, deep and vibrant, with a layered core of fruit, bright acids and a long, penetrating finish, where powdery structuring tannins make themselves felt but without any asperity. Of course, this remains a deep and powerful wine, but Nicolas Thienpont and his team continue their shift toward more judicious extraction, with excellent results.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RP
