Ch.Pavie Macquin 1998 750ml

Wine Advocate #134 Apr 2001
Nearly exaggerated levels of intensity, extract, and richness are apparent in this opaque blue/purple-colored wine. Sumptuous aromas of blueberries, blackberries, and cherries combine with smoke, licorice, vanillin, and truffles to create a compelling aromatic explosion. The wine is fabulously dense, full-bodied, and layered, with multiple dimensions, gorgeous purity, and superbly integrated acidity as well as tannin. One of the most concentrated wines of the vintage, it possesses immense potential, but patience is required.

Pavie Macquin is a property admirably situated on the top of the plateau of Saint Emilion. The realisation of the enormous quality of the property, as well as the will-power to produce a wine worthy of the terroir, began with the arrival of Maryse Barre in 1986. With great energy and determination, Madame Barre contributed hugely to the renaissance of the property. Her work is carried on by Nicolas Thienpont, who arrived at the end of 1994, accompanied by Stéphane Derenoncourt, already present at the chateau since 1990. They found, in Pavie Macquin, the ideal birthplace for a method of production that has since been proven the world over.
This research and this contemplation of a viticulture and vinification based on respect for natural law and a dynamic tradition have made Pavie Macquin a virtual laboratory. It is not a question of creating a new wine but simply of revealing the terroir and unveiling the qualities that were hitherto hidden. In one phrase, it meant revealing the hidden beauty of this ‘Cinderella’.
On the occasion of the reclassification of the Saint Emilion chateaux (in September 2006), Chateau Pavie Macquin was promoted to the prestigious level of Premier Grand Cru Classé.