Château Pavie Macquin is named after the grand-father of the current owners, Albert Macquin (1852-1911), to whom St Emilion owes the use of plant grafting which became the saviour of vines destroyed by phylloxera. A family property of 15 hectares, the vineyard of Pavie Macquin is situated on the summit of the Saint Emilion plateau. The clay/limestone soil on a bedrock of limestone allows good natural drainage and a continuous water supply. The strong clays result in fleshy, generous and powerful wines. All the art of the winemaker is needed for this exceptional wine, in order to tame the natural power of the terroir and yet preserve its grace and style.
The origin may be impressive, but it is the sublime that we seek.
Area. 15 ha - Varieties planted. 70 % Merlot, 25 % Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon - Density. 6000 vines / ha -Soils. Clay-limestone on chalk. - Average age of vines. 35 years - Soil management. Traditional: light ploughing and aeration of the soil with inter-row planting. Other specifics : Biological prevention against disease and pests. Numerous manual interventions: de-budding, leaf-thinning and green harvest. 100% hand-picked harvest. Use of biodynamic compost.
VINIFICATION AND AGING. Tanks. 80% wood, 20% cement - Length of aging. 16 to 20 months - Barrels. 80 % new, 20 % 1 year old. No crushing of grapes. Gentle extraction by punching-down. Temperature-controlled tanks. Malolactic fermentation in barrel. Stirring of lees after malolactic fermentation. Reductive aging on lees: first racking after 6 to 10 months (before summer), second racking one year later before bottling.
Pavie Macquin, this eponymous chateau, finds the key to its history in one man, Albert Macquin (1852-1911). It is to him that S Henri Enjalbert wrote, “During more than thirty years, Albert Macquin was the master of the transformation of the vineyards of Saint Emilion”.
The current owners of the chateau are his grandchildren: Benoit and Bruno Corre, Marie-Jacques Charpentier and their children. They have shown, like their ancestor, a great attachment to this admirable terroir. aint Emilion owes the idea of grafting vines onto rootstocks, thereby saving the region from ruin by phylloxera.
Pavie Macquin is a property admirably situated on the top of the plateau of Saint Emilion. The realisation of the enormous quality of the property, as well as the will-power to produce a wine worthy of the terroir, began with the arrival of Maryse Barre in 1986. With great energy and determination, Madame Barre contributed hugely to the renaissance of the property. Her work is carried on by Nicolas Thienpont, who arrived at the end of 1994, accompanied by Stéphane Derenoncourt, already present at the chateau since 1990. They found, in Pavie Macquin, the ideal birthplace for a method of production that has since been proven the world over.
This research and this contemplation of a viticulture and vinification based on respect for natural law and a dynamic tradition have made Pavie Macquin a virtual laboratory. It is not a question of creating a new wine but simply of revealing the terroir and unveiling the qualities that were hitherto hidden. In one phrase, it meant revealing the hidden beauty of this ‘Cinderella’.
On the occasion of the reclassification of the Saint Emilion chateaux (in September 2006), Chateau Pavie Macquin was promoted to the prestigious level of Premier Grand Cru Classé.
Fifteen years of management of soil and plant, using a method largely inspired by biodynamics (without ever getting into its more “mystical” side); biological study of the soils; the abandonment of the use of herbicides; composting; the study of companion plants; the gentle transport of the harvested grapes; whole grape vinification since 1995; microoxygenation since 1992; aging on lees and lees-stirring and extraction by punching down, all bear witness to the painstaking detail employed at every level of production.
In addition, the sensitive integration of new buildings with those already present allows a pleasant and spacious area in which to welcome visitors to the property. Pavie Macquin has kept its image as a “peasant” wine while being perfectly adapted to its philosophy of tradition which is to be not just creators but midwives to the terroir.
The soil is worked mechanically to a shallow depth and care is taken to avoid all compaction of the soil. The planting, every autumn, of companion plants aides in this task. The management of the passage of water was recently the subject of an in-depth study on the property and led to the installation of a number of drainage ditches both in the vines and along laneways. This philosophy of respect allows us to rely upon a living soil that is biologically active and healthy.
Thanks to good soil management the mortality rate of the vines is very low and they have an average age of over thirty years. In addition, annual replacement of any missing vines allows us to maintain a maximum density of plantation. Careful observation and marking of old vines also allows for the preservation of preferred vine-stocks and the same is true of rootstocks, which are rigorously selected in order to control vigour. As can be seen, the control of yields is one of the principal keys to obtaining a vintage of quality, capable of attaining a good level of maturity and thereby avoiding all vegetal notes and expressing all the subtleties of this great terroir.
Green harvest is carried out in two passages, one after bunch closure in order to eliminate overcrowding, the second at veraison, to regulate the charge and maturity. The rule of thumb is: socks on a washing line!
Leaf-thinning compliments this work by ensuring a good level of aeration and healthy for the maturing grapes. Careful analysis allows us to follow the evolution of the sugar and acid levels of the berries while tasting follows their phenolic maturation and we can therefore carefully choose the date of the harvest. The harvested grapes are sorted both by hand and by the use of vibrating tables and the whole, uncrushed, berries are deposited in the tanks by conveyor belt, giving a perfect cap that resembles an open pot of caviar.
According to analysis and tasting the grapes are fermented in either cement tanks of small capacity (70-90 hl) or wood tanks of 80 hl capacity. Extraction is either by pumping over or punching down. With a raw ingredient that is always very tannic, it is essential that this extraction concentrates on opulence without over-concentration. According to the vintage or the tank in question, micro-oxygenation may be used during post-fermentation maceration.
The wine is run off into barrel, of which approximately 80% are new, taking into account the character of the vintage. There is no timeline governing the aging and or the interventions, which may take place, as ever, all decisions are made after careful tasting of the lots.
This observation of each lot, from vineyard to barrel, allows each one to have its own strong identity and to receive the ideal treatment for its character. The aim being always to accentuate the fruit and use new oak to give structure rather than flavour. The final blend, therefore, is not made until every lot has arrived at its optimum maturity.
One could say that the most important feature of the wine is power and this power must be directed and governed by the control of yields and meticulous observation of maturity.
We reflect here on the perfect application of the clever rule of the equerry of the Cadre Noir of Saumur: “Subdue the power to make it graceful and find in this way the power of the grace.”
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