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Vertical Tasting of Chateau Pavie Macquin (Mar 2014)

(14% alcohol; pH 3.47): Deep red. Refined aromas of ripe red cherry and strawberry jam complicated by notes of rosemary, marjoram and cocoa. Suave, rich and dense, with savory red cherry, licorice and herb flavors showing lovely balance and surprising flesh for the vintage. Finishes long and rich, with mouthcoating, polished tannins. A major success…

Six Decades of Pavie-Macquin: 1928-2018 (May 2020)

The 2004 Pavie-Macquin is not especially complex or nuanced, but it is exquisitely delicious and also a fabulous choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Leather, spice, chocolate and licorice fill out the layers effortlessly. More than anything else, the 2004 is a wine of total pleasure.

Cleaning Out the Cupboard: Bordeaux 1943-2020 (Jan 2023)

The 2005 Marquis d’Alesme Becker has a slightly rustic nose of loamy red berry fruit, dried blood and sandalwood. It does not quite have the finesse of more recent vintages. Likewise, the palate is broad-shouldered, stocky and a bit rough around the edges, yet I admire its weight and density. A few more years in…

2013 Napa Valley: Once Upon a Time in America… (Oct 2015)

Just as magnificent from bottle as it was in barrel, the 2013 Napanook is dense, powerful and brooding, with searing intensity and extraordinary balance. Lavender, plums, violets, licorice and smoke are some of the signatures, but the 2013 exudes finesse, power and intensity. Bracing and searing, the 2013 is going to require quite a bit…

2015 Bordeaux: Every Bottle Tells a Story… (Feb 2018)

A massive, powerful wine, the 2015 Enclos Tourmaline sits on the edge of overripeness, and yet there is just enough balance to keep the wine on course. To be sure, this is an extroverted, flamboyant style. The black cherry, plum, chocolate, licorice and leather flavors are all amped up in this sumptuous Saint-Émilion. Enclos Tournaline…

2022 Bordeaux in Bottle: Living in the Present (Jan 2025)

The 2022 Larcis Ducasse is a huge, vertical wine. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2022 will need quite a few years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dense dark red fruit, new leather, licorice, rose petal and mocha are all broadly sketched. Imposing and vertical in build, this is immensely…