Chateau Pavie Macquin St. Emilion 2010

Packed, offering dense but clearly defined layers of blackberry coulis, plum paste and black currant pâte de fruit, intertwined with mouthwatering graphite and Lapsang souchong tea notes. The bramble- and spice-filled finish just won't quit. Despite displaying power and breadth, this features good cut and leaves a mouthwatering impression of purity. Best from 2018 through 2035.

This is always an extremely masculine, dense, burly wine, and the 2010, which tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol (just slightly under that of the 2009), has a final blend of 80% Merlot and the rest virtually all Cabernet Franc, with just 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Loads of crushed rock and chalkiness, along with licorice, black truffle, smoked game and black fruits dominate the aromatics and flavor. Backward, formidably endowed, full-bodied and almost atypically massive and huge, with gargantuan extraction, this is a wine for patient connoisseurs to forget about for close to a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2040+.

A juicy and fruity wine that's sustained by attractive tannins, giving both freshness and a balance of structure. The bright acidity lifts the wine while the tannins promise future aging. The wine is stylish, almost understated, but likely to develop impressively.