Château Pavie Macquin, Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion,

Creamy depths of colour and flavour, powerful damson and black cherry fruits, this is utterly compelling and beautifully concentrated. No question that the tannins are crowding in through the front of the palate, eager to make an impression, but they quickly soften and widen, and in between is air, spice, flowers, just nuanced and beautiful. The power of limestone in hot vintages on display. 3.4ph, great stuff from this 14.5ha estate, Nicolas Thienpont director.

The 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 2022 Pavie-Macquin was picked 14 to 27 September at 31hL/ha. Black cherries, crème de cassis, crushed violets on the nose. This is the most opulent amongst Nicolas Thienpont's portfolio, though I find just a touch more terroir expression on the Larcis-Ducasse. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, satin-like in texture. A little more tertiary in its second half, with white pepper liberally-sprinkled toward the finish. Quite understated in style, I suspect it will spread its wings during its élevage.