CHATEAU PAVIE MACQUIN

Pavie Macquin took its name from founder Albert Macquin, a specialist in grafting and root stocks who was instrumental in saving not only Saint-Émilion, but much of Bordeaux from the predations of the Phylloxera epidemic that destroyed so much of France’s vinous heritage. It was Macquin’s idea to graft European vines onto American root stocks, and thus save the day.

Owned by the Corre-Maquin family, the estate was producing below-par wines until the introduction in the 1990s of the A-team of Stéphane Derenoncourt and Nicolas Thienpont who, as elsewhere, have ridden into town and turned things around.

The 15-hectare vineyard possesses a complex terroir consisting of nine different soil types, and the 40-year-old vines are 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Farming is undertaken using organic and sustainable principles and the winemaking facilities have undergone a complete makeover.

These days, undeniably one of the stars of the Saint-Émilion firmament, the Pavie-Macquin wines are strong, full bodied and generous.