Chateau Pavie Macquin 2014

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? Drink in 2022, but hard not to drink now."

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. 4,250 cases made."

FALSTAFF: "Verschlossen nach Schwarzkirsche. Zupackendes Tannin, fest gefügt, dabei phenolisch reif, mit feinem Korn. Guter Säurenerv, kompakt und dicht, gebündelt, etwas kräftig im Alkohol, doch vor allem inhaltsreich und straff, ohne Grüntöne."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Already showing some maturity in the color, the wine is medium/full bodied, fresh, sweet, and refined, with sweet,, spicy, black raspberry, plum pure cherries, and crushed rocks in the finish. A few years of cellaring, with definitely make this more interesting. Although, this is going to be fun to drink early."

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."

THE 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."

WEINWISSER: "85 % Merlot, 14 % Cabernet Franc, 1 % Cabernet Sauvignon. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Faszinierendes Bouquet, gekochte Johannisbeeren und Cassis, Kräutertee, zeigt eine schöne Konzentration an. Im Gaumen satt, fleischig, aber auch mit einer gewissen Strenge, respektive Rasse ausgestattet."

DECANTER: "Restrained and undemonstrative but less power and more refinement this year. Fresh and minerally with a persistent finish. A Pavie-Macquin with a feminine edge."