2023 Peter Michael Winery Estate Red Wine Les Pavots Knights Valley

Regular price $264.98

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97 Vinous - The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots soars from the glass with a whole range of savory, floral top notes. Medium in body yet very deep, the 2023 is a superb example of both the year and Knights Valley. Vibrant red-toned fruit, blood orange, graphite, cinnamon, chalk, mint and dried herbs are some of the many notes that come alive in the glass. All of the energy of this cold, late-ripening year comes through loud and clear. Several recent bottles from the late 1990s and early 2000s point to the longevity of the best vintages, as I expect will be the case with the 2023.

97 Dunnuck - The 2023 Les Pavots comes from an incredibly long growing season for this cuvée and is a blend of fairly typical varieties for the estate. It pours a coating youthful saturated red/purple color, and the nose reveals notes of cassis, lavender, mint, cocoa nib, licorice, and cedar. Full-bodied, it has a refined, supple texture with a delicate, creamy feel that remains youthful at this stage, with even, velvety tannins and refreshing acidity without overpowering weight. Notes of rosemary, pine, and dark stones start to shine as it opens, along with resinous herbs. Full-bodied, it has a lot of length and starts to show real flash without alcohol heat. I would recommend this over the coming 15-20 years.

The flagship Bordeaux-style red from Peter Michael, Les Pavots comes from the steep, south-facing slopes of Mount St. Helena in Knights Valley, where rocky volcanic rhyolitic soils and elevations reaching nearly 1,400 feet give the wine its distinctive combination of California richness, mountain structure and savory complexity. First produced in 1989, it remains one of the estate’s benchmark wines.

The 2023 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in 100% French oak. The relatively large Cabernet Franc component is important—it contributes much of the wine's aromatic lift and savory character alongside the power of Cabernet Sauvignon.

This is a deep, concentrated and luxurious Les Pavots, bursting with black currant, dark cherry, black raspberry and cassis, followed by violets and other purple flowers, black olive, anise, black tea and baking spice. The palate is broad and full-bodied, with tremendous concentration, but the tannins are remarkably fine and polished. The cooler, exceptionally long 2023 growing season preserved vibrant acidity, giving all that ripe mountain fruit surprising freshness and balance. Peter Michael considers it one of the finest Les Pavots of the past two decades, with the structure to evolve for at least 20 years.

Vinny: A monumental yet remarkably polished Les Pavots—cassis, blackberry and dark cherry layered with violets, black olive, anise, graphite-like minerality and exotic spice. Rich and powerful in classic Peter Michael fashion, but the superb 2023 vintage brings freshness, beautifully refined tannins and terrific definition. California mountain Cabernet with a distinctly Bordeaux-inspired soul—and potentially one of the great Les Pavots releases.

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