2017 Chateau Pavie Macquin Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe 750 ml

“Simply stunning!” Strong words from the Wine Advocate to match the equally impressive 97-point score of this 2017 Château Pavie Macquin. After falling head over heels for it as a surprise sneak preview in St.-Émilion, our latest taste confirms that this bottle ranks among the very best of 2017. 

A perennial favorite Bordeaux of Wine Access members, Pavie Macquin remains one of the Right Bank’s most outstanding collector values at under $100. Considering 2017, where Pavie Macquin stands tall among famous St.-Émilion neighbors Château Ausone (98 points, $760+) and Cheval Blanc (96+ points, $670+), and this 97-point wine becomes an obvious cellar steal.

The ripe attack of the palate is deftly balanced by a poised grip to the tannins, and fresh, energetic acidity. Elegant and precise, the plum and blackberry fruit tones evolve into deeply complex layers of mocha, toast, and five-spice notes on the lingering finish. 

Today’s offer is a golden opportunity to get in on the ground floor, and a sound investment that will pay dividends for years to come, with each bottle you dust off and enjoy.
 

Situated just above Château Pavie and sharing the same classic limestone bedrock ridge, Pavie Macquin is blessed with some of the best terroir on the Right Bank. Led by the superstar winemaking team of Nicolas Thienpont (Le Pin and Vieux Château Certan) and Stéphane Derenoncourt (author of 100-point La Mondotte), Robert Parker has called Pavie Macquin “one of the stars of Saint-Émilion,” thanks in large part to the talented pair’s rigorously applied organic farming principles.

2017 was a great vintage for estates like Pavie Macquin, which turned an early spring frost into an opportunity to make an exceptionally concentrated red. “2017 produced a number of tremendous wines,” said Vinous’s Antonio Galloni, who called several of the Right Bank offerings “positively thrilling.” With its “flawless balance,” “delightfully pure aromatics,” and “remarkable persistence,” the critics have placed Pavie Macquin squarely in that camp. 

We first happened upon it at a négociant dinner hosted at Logis de la Cadène while we were swinging through the Right Bank for some tastings. A disorganized smattering of St.-Émilion bottlings dotted the tables, and the 2017 Pavie Macquin mysteriously found its way onto ours. The youngest bottle there by far, it stood out among the rest for its vivacious flavors of blackberry, black plum, warm cherry pie filling, and blueberry preserves. Fabulously delicious in its youth, it quickly shot to the top of our 2017 Bordeaux wish list. 

When we tasted it again at home in Napa, it was just as dazzling. The juicy primary character still coming through in spades, now underscored with even more complex tones of mint, anise, baking chocolate, violet, and an intriguing hint of smoke. 

Pavie Macquin has never outgrown its underrated status, which is both a miracle and a boon to the savvy collector. The 2017’s price-to-score ratio is proof: The Médoc and Right Bank icons that landed near Pavie Macquin in Wine Advocate’s 97-point neighborhood are fetching $350-$600+ per bottle. This is the definition of a cellar steal, and one that will prove to be monumental over the coming decades.