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Pavie Macquin 2003

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

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Label

Tasting Notes

From a cool terroir on clay and limestone soils (the perfect scenario for producing great wine in 2003), the 2003 Pavie Macquin is composed of 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and achieved 13.8% natural alcohol. Full-bodied, young and vigorous, the wine exhibits a dense blue/black color to the rim along with a stunning nose of asphalt, truffle, blackberry, cassis, lead pencil shavings and forest floor. The super-complex aromatics are followed by an opulent, majestic 2003 with a finish that lasts nearly 45 seconds. One of the superstars of the vintage, it should continue to drink well for 10-15+ years. Bravo! Drink 2014-2029

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (214), August 2014

Incredible nose of rasberry jam with vanilla and floral undertones. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit on the finish.

96
James Suckling, Wine Spectator, February 2006

Big, bold and spicy

16
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (April 04), April 2004
Read more tasting notes...

This tremendous terroir has been brought back to life over the last 15 years by Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt. Its 37-acre vineyard, planted in deep clay and limestone soils, is composed of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Pavie-Macquin is not far from Gerard Perse’s little treasure, Pavie-Decesse. The 2003 Pavie-Macquin turned out brilliantly, no doubt because its soils supported the summer’s torrid heat and drought. Tipping the scales at 13.8% alcohol, it boasts an opaque purple color along with a gorgeous nose of blackberries, smoked meats, licorice, incense, and barbecue spices. Huge fruit on the attack is followed by a powerful, masculine wine with huge extract, high tannin, low acidity, and formidable power. Despite its low acidity, this is a wine to forget for 3-4 years, and drink over the following 20-25 years. When fully mature, this brilliant effort should rival the 2000 and 1998.

95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (164), April 2006

Minuscule yields of 22 hectoliters per hectare resulted in a prodigious blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This vineyard’s clay and limestone soils were a perfect antidote for the atypical climatic conditions of June, July, and August, 2003. Consultant Stephane Derenoncourt thinks the 2003 is the finest Pavie-Macquin produced to date, but it has some serious competition from both the 2000 and 1998. The color is an inky/purple/black, and the bouquet offers up scents of scorched earth, creme de cassis, blackberries, English walnuts, lead pencil shavings, and camphor. Extremely powerful, potent, and full-bodied, with enormous richness, a liquid minerality, a massive mid-palate and finish, and huge, but sweet, well-integrated tannin, this is clearly an offering from another era. It may have more in common with the most concentrated wines of 1947, 1945, 1929, or 1900 than more recent vintages. Made for true connoisseurs, the 2003 Pavie-Macquin is best forgotten for 7-10 years. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2030.

94/96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (158), April 2005

This 35-acre vineyard planted with 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon sits on top of a limestone plateau with some clay ... the perfect soil type for 2003. There are 3,300 cases of the 2003, a vintage that many Bordeaux cognoscenti consider to be the greatest Pavie-Macquin every made. The consultant is Stephane Derenoncourt, and the 2003's natural alcohol is 14%. A magnificent effort, it is one of the vintage’s superstars. An inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by a fascinating perfume of graphite, blackberries, kirsch, plums, barbecue spices, and cold steel. Full-bodied and powerful, with terrific minerality, amazing delineation for its size and intensity, and low acid, full-throttle flavors that linger for nearly a minute, it may represent a modern day version of some of the great right bank 1947s. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020+.

94/97
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (152), April 2004

Full bodied, with wonderful freshness and length. Goes on and on. Could be the best I have ever tasted from here.

92/94
James Suckling, Wine Spectator (April 04), April 2004
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.