WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
The dark ruby 2021 ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ offers an intense perfume of red and black cherry, blackberry pie, crushed rose petal, black currant and red plum supported by hints of dark chocolate, black pepper, anise and black olive. The supple entry leads to soft, but plentiful silky tannins which persist through the mid-palate and lengthy finish. This round, plush ‘L’Esprit des Pavots’ is more approachable now than its ‘Au Paradis’ and ‘Les Pavots’ counterparts but the 2021 vintage promises to improve for more than a decade in the cellar.
TASTING NOTES:
The blackberry and sage character comes through clearly, with some orange blossoms, graphite, dried tomatoes, green tobacco and stone. A rich and juicy red with lots of berry and chocolate character, with a full body and layered rich tannins. It’s flavorful yet hemmed in with firm yet rounded tannins. Muscular. 62% cabernet sauvignon, 25% cabernet franc, 7% merlot, and 6% petit verdot. This needs four or five years to come together and show its true self.
- James Suckling, 97 pts.
The 2021 Les Pavots is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. It's a beautiful wine you could drink now or stash in the cellar, with a concentrated, broody yet polished profile. It has pure scents of blueberry liqueur, lilac, cast iron, grilled meats and soy sauce plus hints of wild thyme and truffle. The full-bodied palate offers a structural balance of clay-textured tannins and bright acidity, deriving its power from its sheer depth of dark fruit, and it has a long, detailed finish. 2,769 cases were made, and the Les Pavots will be released in February of 2024.
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 97 pts.
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots is one of the most elegant and classy wines I have tasted from Peter Michael's Knights Valley estate. Deep, layered and substantial, the 2021 holds considerable promise. In most vintages, the Pavots is more aromatically expressive, but today it is quite closed. Dark red plum, mocha, spice, new leather and licorice all build in this embryonic Cabernet Sauvignon. In this tasting, the 2021 needed considerable decanting to show its textural breadth. It’s a gorgeous wine in every way.
- Vinous, 97 pts.
