Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots, Peter Michael Winery 2002

A great, great success (and of course, this is Knight’s Valley material), the 2002 Les Pavots, which I loved from barrel as well as bottle, still has a good 20+ years of life ahead of it. At this point, it is tasting like a vigorous young adolescent in its evolutionary development. The blend in 2002 from the winery was 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. Moreover there are just under 3,000 cases of this spectacular wine, which I’m hoping many readers have cellared away. Inky black/purple, with a nose of incense, licorice, balsamic and Asian soy notes interwoven with blackberry, blueberry and hints of truffle and camphor, this wine is full-bodied, opulent and voluptuously textured, with sensational mid-palate, depth and richness. This is a killer Bordeaux-styled, ripe, exuberant, flamboyant red from Peter Michael that stands as one of the all-time great Les Pavots cuvees ever made. It ideally needs another 3-4 years of cellaring, although it is quite accessible and should keep for a minimum of 20 or more years. Bravo!