Château Pavie-Macquin
Encyclopedia
Château Pavie-Macquin is a Bordeaux wine
from the appellation
Saint-Émilion
, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
. The winery
is one of three Pavie estates, along with Château Pavie
and Château Pavie-Decesse, located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion in the department Gironde
. Having risen in esteem in the 1990s, it was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé in 2006.
The château also produces a second wine
named Les Chênes de Macquin (The Oaks of Macquin).
, it was acquired by Albert Macquin, also the owner of the neighbouring Château La Serre, who would become known as a pioneer in the battle
against phylloxera
, and whose vines at Pavie-Macquin were among the very first to be grafted
onto American rootstock
s. After studying viticulture
at the Ecole d'Agriculture in Montpellier
, Macquin was aware of the new techniques involving grafting the phylloxera resistant Vitis labrusca
American rootstock onto the Vitis Vinifera
vines. While neighboring Chateaux were still looking for a cure to heal the infected vines, Macquin set about replanting his entire vineyard with the more resistant rootstock and was able to rebound more quickly from the phylloxera epidemic that plagued the Bordeaux wine
industry. In Henri Enjalbert
's description, "for more than 30 years Macquin was a one-man viticultural industry, the mastermind behind the transformation of the Saint-Émilion vineyards."
The estate is currently owned by the Corre family, descendants of Albert Macquin, and is managed by Nicolas Thienpont with the oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt
in charge of vinification. The team of Thienpont and Derenoncourt has been credited with increasing the profile of Pavie-Macquin in recent years, introducing biodynamic
viticulture and more modern winemaking
techniques. In 2006, the Château was promoted from Grands crus classés to Premiers grands crus classés B in the Saint-Émilion wine classification.
, 14% Cabernet Franc
and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
.
Of the Grand vin Château Pavie-Macquin and the second wine Les Chênes de Macquin there is typically a total production of 6,400 cases per year.
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-History:Saint-Émilion's history goes back to prehistoric times and is a World Heritage site, with fascinating Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.The Romans planted...
, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
In 1955 the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Medoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 years or so. Following the initial classification, the...
. The winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
is one of three Pavie estates, along with Château Pavie
Château Pavie
Château Pavie is a winery in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region of France. It lies on the plateau to the southeast of St Emilion village. In 1954 it was classified in the second rank of the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine, as a Premier Grand Cru Classé .-History:Like other vineyards in...
and Château Pavie-Decesse, located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion in the department Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
. Having risen in esteem in the 1990s, it was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé in 2006.
The château also produces a second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
named Les Chênes de Macquin (The Oaks of Macquin).
History
Once a part of the large estate of Ferdinand Bouffard, a 19th Century Bordeaux négociantNégociant
A négociant is the French term for a wine merchant who assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers and sells the result under its own name....
, it was acquired by Albert Macquin, also the owner of the neighbouring Château La Serre, who would become known as a pioneer in the battle
Great French Wine Blight
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid to waste the wine industry...
against phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
, and whose vines at Pavie-Macquin were among the very first to be grafted
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
onto American rootstock
Rootstock
A rootstock is a plant, and sometimes just the stump, which already has an established, healthy root system, used for grafting a cutting or budding from another plant. The tree part being grafted onto the rootstock is usually called the scion...
s. After studying viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
at the Ecole d'Agriculture in Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, Macquin was aware of the new techniques involving grafting the phylloxera resistant Vitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca is a species of grapevines belonging to the Vitis genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to the eastern United States and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba and Concord grapes, and many hybrid grape varieties such as Agawam,...
American rootstock onto the Vitis Vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
vines. While neighboring Chateaux were still looking for a cure to heal the infected vines, Macquin set about replanting his entire vineyard with the more resistant rootstock and was able to rebound more quickly from the phylloxera epidemic that plagued the Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
industry. In Henri Enjalbert
Henri Enjalbert
Henri Enjalbert was a French professor of geography at the University of Bordeaux. He was considered an eminent specialist in wine geology, whose expert opinion frequently overlapped into the fields of oenology, and wine and terroir history, within the Bordeaux region and beyond...
's description, "for more than 30 years Macquin was a one-man viticultural industry, the mastermind behind the transformation of the Saint-Émilion vineyards."
The estate is currently owned by the Corre family, descendants of Albert Macquin, and is managed by Nicolas Thienpont with the oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt
Stéphane Derenoncourt
Stéphane Derenoncourt is a French vigneron working as a consultant for numerous estates in Bordeaux and other wine producers world wide, with his wife Christine Derenoncourt runs Vignerons Consultants and owns Domaine de l'A in the Côtes de Castillon and Derenoncourt California in Napa Valley...
in charge of vinification. The team of Thienpont and Derenoncourt has been credited with increasing the profile of Pavie-Macquin in recent years, introducing biodynamic
Biodynamic wine
Biodynamic wines are wines made using the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic refers to both the agricultural methods and the handling and processing of the fruit post-harvest.-Biodynamic viticulture:...
viticulture and more modern winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
techniques. In 2006, the Château was promoted from Grands crus classés to Premiers grands crus classés B in the Saint-Émilion wine classification.
Production
The vineyard area extends 15 hectares with the grape varieties of 84% MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, 14% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
.
Of the Grand vin Château Pavie-Macquin and the second wine Les Chênes de Macquin there is typically a total production of 6,400 cases per year.