A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the Pavie-Macquin has a very sensual bouquet, very pure with raspberry, wild strawberry and red cherries. This is a very pretty nose and the oak is well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, an impressive ball of sweet red fruit at its centre and fine, almost filigree tannins at its centre. I like the focus, the joie-de-vivre of Nicolas Thienpont’s wine. This is an exceptional wine for the vintage. Tasted April 2012.

Quite expressive, offering bright blueberry and raspberry aromas and flavors, with lots of lightly toasted spice flittering through the long, silky finish. Showing lovely purity, this is a really beautiful, tender expression for the vintage.-J.M.

A very classic wine, the 2011 is inky purple, with a superb aromatic display of black raspberry, cassis, chocolate, forest floor and some vague smoky, barbecue scents. Full-bodied, powerful, pure and impressively rich, this blend of 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.

Fascinating nose of black truffles, fresh citrus fruit, and minerals. Cocoa too. Full body, with well-integrated tannins and a medium chewy finish. This has an impressive finish for the vintage.

This well-known St.-Emilion estate has turned out a dense purple-colored blend of 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Super-concentrated, but not over-extracted, with an essence of blackberry, blueberry and black raspberry fruit interwoven with dusty, chalky minerality as well as a floral note, this full-bodied, rich, moderately tannic, pure, layered, impressive 2011 will benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring. It can be enjoyed over the following two decades.

Opaque purple. Ripe cassis, smoke and flint on the perfumed nose. Ripe, full and suave on entry, then brightly acidic and fruity in the middle, with very good purity to the redcurrant and floral flavors. Finishes long and refined, but with a slightly green edge that had me a little worried. Still, there's so much lovely minerally fruit present that I'll give this wine the benefit of the doubt.

Black core. Aroma of roasted potato skins. Savoury and very dense. Rich, very dark. Extreme, sweet/sour. Bags of oak. Big, chewy tannins but they are not hard or aggressive. Powerful and packed to be unpacked. Chewy in the extreme. Dark and roasted. The polar opposite of subtle and elegant. (JH)