Offers a solid, packed feel, with dense plum sauce, licorice and blackberry preserve flavors, pushed by ganache and graphite details. Despite the dense and fleshy feel, there’s serious purity here. A violet note mingles with a lightly chalky echo through the lengthy finish. A terrific effort for the vintage. Best from 2017 through 2027. — J.M.

Plump but soft raspberry, blackberry and red cherry fruit, with a mouthwatering salinity to the tannins that reflects its limestone terroir. Tasted as part of a vertical at the estate recently, and again for this report, it shows a relatively fruit-forward ability to please, with butterscotch and saffron streaks on the finish. 80% new oak.

Truffle, minerals, espresso bean, ripe plums and licorice create the perfume. On the palate, the wine is suave, and polished, with a sensuous display of fresh, sweet, mineral driven cherries. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2012&wine=Chateau%20Pavie%20Macquin

93+ Another wine made by the superstar guru Nicolas Thienpont, this well-situated property of 37 acres on the high clay/limestone plateau in St.-Emilion has produced a blend of 84 % Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. A masculine, virile style of wine with an inky deep purple color, lots of crème de cassis and crushed rock and high tannin. This is thick and powerful, with a layered mouthfeel, good purity, earthiness and spice. Forget it for 4-5 years and drink if over the following two decades. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2012 Pavie Macquin is medium to deep garnet colored. The nose sings of eucalyptus, baked raspberries, and black cherry compote with hints of fallen leaves, Ceylon tea, and dusty soil. The full-bodied palate has a chewy texture and just enough freshness, finishing on a lingering minty note.