Tasted July 2022. Clearly, drinking in its sweet spot, this medium-bodied wine is all about its silky, supple, rich textures that deliver its layers of opulent, ripe plums, tobacco leaf, spicy cherries, and a touch of dark chocolate and sea salt that comes in right at the perfect moment in the finish. There is no need to decant, just pop, pour and enjoy this beauty.

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,