Château Pavie Macquin, Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion,

The 1999 Pavie-Macquin, Nicolas Thienpont’s fourth vintage, is a wine that I have not tasted since en primeur. It is quite deep in color, with thick bricking on the rim. The attractive bouquet offers red fruit, hung game and a discreet shaving of black truffle, not complex but well defined. The well-balanced palate leads off with a menthol-tinged opening. There is decent weight and grip here, though a peppermint-tinged finish obscures the terroir. That said, the wine has held up well over the last 20 years. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate.