How did this 15-hectare property, at the foot of the medieval city of Saint-Émilion, become over the years one of the best in the appellation?
History
It all began in 1880 when Albert Macquin, an agronomist by training, came to live in the Saint-Émilionnais region. The vineyard is then ravaged by phylloxera and winegrowers are looking for solutions at all costs to get out of it and rise from their ashes. Convinced by the effectiveness of his grafted plans, Albert Macquin will make it his business. From Pomerol to Saint-Émilion, it will contribute greatly to the recovery of the phylloxera crisis on the right bank.
Having made his fortune with his plans, he began in 1887 to acquire plots of land in his own name, bought from small winegrowers in order to build a vineyard as and when. In total, he managed to gather 26 hectares of vines. Located on the plateau of the coast of Pavia, it is therefore natural that he will name his castle "Pavie Macquin".
Today, the castle is owned by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Since 1986, a woman has been the head of the property, Maryse Barre. Pioneer of biodynamics on the right bank, it will not stop developing and revealing the potential of its terroir in order to produce the great wines that it deserves. Full of energy and determination, in 1994 she will give way to Nicolas Thienpont. Illustrious wine maker, also on the right bank, he will bring all his know-how to take over. With the support of his friend Stéphane Derenoncourt, a renowned wine expert, they will bring the vintage to the top of the appellation.
The duo was awarded the title of Premier Grand Cru Classé in 2006, when it became a member of the illustrious Saint-Émilion wine list.
The vineyard, its terroir and its culture
If, at the time of Albert Macquin, the vineyard had an area of 26 hectares, today it is only 15.
Its location presages an exceptional terroir, to say the least. At the foot of the village of Saint-Émilion, on the plateau of the coast of Pavia, everything is said. Composed of clay and limestone soils, the cultivated grape varieties flourish in the most beautiful way and express all the beauty of this soil.
The 3 iconic varieties of the right bank are grown here: 80% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The average age of the vineyard is 35 years.
The merlots are mainly planted on clay soils. The soil is richer in water, this will confer wealth, power and opulence.
The cabernets, on the other hand, are mostly planted on the limestone plateau, which will give them a profile full of freshness, tension and minerality. In fact, 15 years ago, the area of cabernet franc was increased. It is a grape variety that adapts perfectly to global warming.
It is from this terroir, envied throughout the world, that comes the character and identity of the wines of Pavie Macquin.
The work of the vineyard is turned towards the vineyard, respect for its environment but also its ecosystem. Sowing between rows within the plots, planting of cereals between rows, use of biodynamic preparations, no herbicides or insecticides are used, everything is done so that the living is at the heart of concerns. With an increasingly demanding climate change, which is both challenging and stressful for the vine and for humans, the use of these biodynamic preparations aims to better protect the plots.
Work in the cellar
Once the time of harvest has come, the grapes are grown to perfect maturity. A decision made with care, by the technical teams of the property as well as the oenologist’s advice.
The bunches are ripe, healthy and of good quality, they are introduced whole into concrete tanks. The juices will be able to make their winemaking. The remontages and pigeages are gentle, thanks to the use of two pneumatic pigeurs. Macerations are made at high temperature for 2 to 3 weeks in order to gain elegance, finesse, but also to give an airy side so characteristic of the wines of the property.
Wood tanks were used before, but after 20 years of good and loyal service they were replaced by concrete tanks. Concrete has a variety of advantages: a micro-oxygenation is done naturally, maintenance is simpler, there is good inertia, but above all, there is better control of temperatures. This is what, once again, twist the neck of detractors of Bordeaux wines who think only to drink wood.
Once the vinification is finished, place to malolactic. For this, 50% of the wines are put in vats and 50% are put in new wood barrels. The wines will be subsequently introduced in barrels, 50% of which are made of new wood and 50% have already known a vintage before, so that they can begin their aging phase. The château works with a dozen coopers to have, each year, a great diversity of barrels, which allows to bring even more complexity and richness to the wines. Matured for 16 to 18 months depending on the vintage, the batches are separated and then assembled at the end.
Two different types of containers are used: 225-litre barrels and 500-litre barrels. The difference between the two is very simple, the volume. The bigger the container, the more the negative effects of wood are mitigated. With the main objective of making wines drinkable faster.
Regarding the structural part, the initial cellar, which today houses the concrete tanks and barrels for malolactic was built by Albert Macquin. Some small refreshments did him the greatest good, however. The cellar reserved for breeding, he, was delivered a little while ago.
A new setting where architecture and design harmoniously blend terroir and modernism, all with elegance. Buried at a depth of about 6 meters, the humidity and temperature are regulated and ideal, at the cutting edge of perfection.
A human-sized property (about ten employees) managed by a specialist of the great wines of the right bank that produces wines faithful to the splendour of its terroir. The château Pavie Macquin continues to progress and evolve in the hierarchy, so much so that today it ranks in the highest spheres of the appellation.