Château Pavie Macquin, Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2015
Our tasting of the Nicolas Thienpont wines with his son, Cyril at the beautifully situated Pavie Macquin was a real treat. Larcis Ducasse, Pavie Macquin and Beauséjour Duffau Lagarrosse all possess great terroir; sometimes we find the wines are a bit over the top and lack energy - this certainly wasn't the case in 2015. Produced from 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, Pavie Macquin is less mineral and more clear fruited with notes of high toned cherries, strawberries and cranberries. The palate is packed with seductive raspberry, cherry liqueur fruit and griotte. The pH is low and this acidity gives a zippy, vital, uplifting character to the persistent fruit tannins.
critic reviews
The 2015 Pavie-Macquin has a warm and inviting bouquet featuring plush red berry fruit, fireside hearth and light espresso scents. This is mature and forward, with perhaps just a soupçon of VA. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is fleshy but not deep and misses some grip. There is a pleasing harmony to this Saint-Émilion but this lacks substance. It has a pleasant sour cherry twist on the finish with mocha on the aftertaste. I would drink this over the next decade.
A consistently excellent wine, this is fully in its drinking window, showcasing fleshy raspberry and redcurrant fruit, sage and saffron, juicy as ever, but not quite the salt-scraping tension that you find in 2016 or in the more recent years. A luscious Pavie-Macquin all the same. Nicolas Thienpont winemaker.