2008 Chateau Pavie Macquin Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1x750ml

Vinous 93

The 2008 Pavie-Macquin was decanted for 60 minutes before pouring. It is surprisingly backward on the nose and demanded another 30 minutes to really open, offering luscious scents of black cherry, boysenberry, crushed violet and light camphor scents that recede with continued aeration. The palate is still concentrated with layers of black fruit tinged with dark chocolate, a little heady in style but retaining sufficient balance to uphold its freshness. It is a feisty and extrovert Pavie-Macquin that feels undiminished at a decade out and in fact, I would afford bottles another four or five years to allow more terroir expression and secondary notes to develop. This has enormous potential, but winemaker Nicolas Thienpont produced a wine for those with patience. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirits annual vertical tasting.) [Neal Martin, 01/02/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035

Robert Parker 90

Tasted ex-chateau and single blind in Southwold. I have to confess that I was hoping for more from the Pavie-Macquin 2008 after its impressive en primeur showing. It has a very ripe bouquet with touches of anis coming through, and certainly it shows that a lot of oak needs time to integrate. The palate is ripe and opulent, soft and supple in the mouth although for me, it is lacking a just a little definition and backbone. Instinct tells me this will turn round with time and it might be going through a dumb phase. Wait and see… Tasted January 2012. [Neal Martin, 01/01/2012]