The flagship of the estate, coming from Knights Valley, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 7%, and the rest Petit Verdot. It pours a more pink-rimmed/purple hue and is an exceptional vintage for this wine. It delivers a bit more power upfront on the nose, with a more assertive cologne of polished leather, cassis, compact berries, lavender, and forest sappy herbs. Patience will be a virtue here, as this is a powerfully structured wine with rich, ripe tannins and a fleshy midpalate. It has excellent density and structure and is built for the long haul. The finish is grippy and mineral, noted with a mountainous feel throughout. Drink 2027-2050.
97 James Suckling
Review Date: 03/2024
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.
97 Wine Advocate
Review Date: 02/2024
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. (EB)
97 Vinous
Review Date: 06/2024
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. (AG)
