The 2016 Pavie Maquin, matured in 50% new oak, has a rich, opulent bouquet that doles out layers of black cherry and boysenberry fruit, then finds more refinement and draws everything back once you’ve been seduced. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, grippy in the mouth, with a masculine, minerally finish and a saline aftertaste. Comparing two bottles, one at the London UGC and one at the château, I found that the latter displayed more detail and nuance. 14.5% alcohol. 95 points

The 2016 Pavie-Macquin is a blend of 82% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon matured in 50% new oak, picked from 7 October (with the young Merlot vines) until 22 October. The pH is 3.35 and it has 14.4% alcohol. I appreciate the intensity of this Pavie-Macquin. This is no shy retiring flower but comes out with cylinders pumping while maintaining the delineation, the detail that you look for. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry, velvety in texture with plenty of luscious r o them that makes them present without being choking. Very good indeed. 94 points

A wine of total finesse, the 2016 Pavie Macquin is also one of the most riveting wines of the vintage. Silky and supple on the palate, with no hard edges and exceptional balance, it takes over all the senses and never lets up. The flavors are bright, precise and beautifully nuanced. Above all else, Pavie Macquin is a wine of elegance, and that is exactly what comes through in the 2016. The wine plays in the dimensions of bright, floral-infused, red-toned fruits, silky tannins and length more than pure power or breadth. The 2016 is a stunningly beautiful bottle of wine and one of the finest reds of the year - it`s as simple as that. In 2016, Nicolas Thienpont opted for long macerations of around four weeks in a combination of cement and oak. Tasted three times. 96-99 points