critic reviews
Tertiary white truffle and smoked earth notes curl out of the glass here, with brickish red tones around the edge of the still-ruby core. Still vibrating with life at almost 25 years old, nuanced and delicate with blackberry and soft crushed raspberry coulis. Saffron on full display, along with smoked caramel and freshly crushed mint leaf that is almost more pronounced on the finish here than in any other in the lineup. Part of the oustanding vintages series within this vertical.
The 1998 Pavie-Macquin is by far the most important wine of the 1990s at Pavie-Macquin. All of the signatures of the estate are present. A wine of textural depth and resonance, the 1998 captures all of the intensity this site is capable of. Dark red cherry fruit, kirsch, smoke and spice build in a stunning, riveting wine that hits all the right notes. It was a near-perfect growing season, with hot days, cool nights and enough dryness to concentrate the fruit but not overly stress the vines.