Château Pavie-Macquin

Château Pavie-Macquin is a Saint-Émilion estate that takes its name from Albert Macquin (1852-1911), an agricultural engineer who became known for popularizing the grafting of vines onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock, work that helped save the region's vineyards after the phylloxera epidemic. Starting in 1887 Macquin purchased the châteaux of La Serre, Peygenestou (5 hectares), Pavie-Chapus (3.7 hectares), Pavie-Pigasse (5.7 hectares) and others, which together totaled approximately 26 hectares. The property remains in the hands of his descendants: the château's own site states it is owned today by his grandchildren, the Corre and Charpentier families.

• Albert Macquin (1852-1911): agricultural engineer, popularized grafted vines against phylloxera
• From 1887, Macquin purchased La Serre, Peygenestou (5 ha), Pavie-Chapus (3.7 ha), Pavie-Pigasse (5.7 ha) and others, totaling approximately 26 hectares
• Owned today by Macquin's grandchildren, the Corre and Charpentier families

The château's own site describes Macquin as an agricultural engineer who "popularized the grafted plant, which would save the vineyard ruined by phylloxera," calling him a "man of reconstruction." It quotes historian Henri Enjalbert: "Albert Macquin must be viewed as the grand master of the St Emilion vineyard's transformation for more than thirty years." Macquin was an advocate of Vitis berlandieri rootstock, which is less susceptible to chlorosis, and produced more than a million grafted plants in 1887 alone. He also developed scientific, plot-by-plot monitoring of the vineyard.

• Popularized grafted vines to counter phylloxera; described on the estate's own site as "the man of reconstruction"
• Historian Henri Enjalbert: "Albert Macquin must be viewed as the grand master of the St Emilion vineyard's transformation for more than thirty years"
• Advocate of Vitis berlandieri rootstock; produced more than a million grafted plants in 1887
• Developed scientific, plot-by-plot vineyard monitoring

Stéphane Derenoncourt was hired as consulting oenologist in 1990 by then-owner Maryse Barre; Wine Spectator reported the early years were lean, with 1991 and 1992 difficult years for Bordeaux and a 1993 conversion to biodynamics that failed under that year's heavy rains. At the end of 1994, Nicolas Thienpont was named manager, succeeding Maryse Barre, alongside Derenoncourt, already at the estate since 1990. Thienpont promoted Derenoncourt to maître de chai, and the two adopted a pragmatic approach that used organic and biodynamic techniques where feasible rather than following strict dogma, according to Wine Spectator's 2014 account. The château's own site states that together they refined Pavie-Macquin's character and developed a viticulture of excellence that carried the estate to Premier Grand Cru Classé rank in 2006, a position confirmed in 2012. The estate's own site frames the 2023 vintage as marking 30 years of joint work between the two men, describing them as "a complementary duo." As of Wine Spectator's December 2014 account, Thienpont was joined at tastings by his son Cyrille Thienpont and by David Suire, while Derenoncourt, whose own consulting business and estate, Domaine de l'A, had grown to take up most of his time, continued to consult for Pavie-Macquin.

• Stéphane Derenoncourt: consulting oenologist since 1990, hired by then-owner Maryse Barre
• Nicolas Thienpont: named manager at the end of 1994, succeeding Maryse Barre
• 1993: a conversion to biodynamics failed under that year's heavy rains, per Wine Spectator
• Thienpont promoted Derenoncourt to maître de chai; pragmatic use of organic and biodynamic techniques rather than strict dogma (Wine Spectator, 2014)
• The estate's own site marks the 2023 vintage as the 30th year of the Thienpont-Derenoncourt collaboration
• As of December 2014, Thienpont's son Cyrille Thienpont and David Suire were also involved, per Wine Spectator

The vineyard sits on a plateau next to Mondot hill and on the edge of the Fongaban fault, with elevation ranging from about 100 meters near the hill to 75 meters at the edge of the plateau. In one unique holding, per the estate's own site, it borders Château Troplong Mondot to the east and Château Pavie to the south, and overlooks Château Trottevieille to the north; the estate's own site describes this as leaving it surrounded by three Premiers Grands Crus Classés. The Saint-Émilion wine council's estate profile lists the vineyard area as 15, with no unit given on the page; the soil there is described as red and brown clays over Asterie limestone. The estate's own site describes the soils as entirely clay-limestone, expressing different notions of terroir depending on the strength of the clay and the proximity of the asteriated limestone table, which sits between 20 centimeters and 1.5 meters below the surface. It attributes the site's characteristically late ripening to the high water retention of these clays, which warm slowly, a tendency reinforced by the plateau position; the estate describes the resulting balance of power and minerality as a "terroir de caractère" that it likens to a Cistercian character. Grape varieties are 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, per the Saint-Émilion wine council's profile, which also lists an average vine age of 35 years. Wine Spectator's 2014 account described the vineyard as totaling 37 acres with the same varietal mix, an average vine age of 40 years including some 60-year-old Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and density raised parcel by parcel from 2,400 to 3,500 vines per acre through replanting.

• On a plateau next to Mondot hill, edge of the Fongaban fault; elevation about 75 to 100 meters
• Borders Château Troplong Mondot (east) and Château Pavie (south); overlooks Château Trottevieille (north)
• Vineyard area listed as 15 (unit not given) by the Saint-Émilion wine council; red and brown clays over Asterie limestone
• Grape mix: 84% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; average vine age 35 years (Saint-Émilion wine council profile)
• Wine Spectator (2014): 37 acres, same varietal mix, average vine age 40 years including some 60-year-old vines, density raised from 2,400 to 3,500 vines per acre via parcel-by-parcel replanting

The estate's own site describes its viticulture as respectful of soil life, following an organic-minded philosophy without being bound by it, with controlled yields aimed at healthy, mature fruit. Vinification is done in whole berries with gentle extraction by pigeage (punching down of the cap), followed by long maceration and aging on fine lees. Newer plantings go in at higher density, and Cabernet Franc comes from massale selection done in-house, planted on warmer plots with a more pronounced limestone character. Wine Spectator's 2014 account of the winemaking's evolution under Thienpont and Derenoncourt described extraction shifting from the more aggressive délestage (devatting) to pigeage, with parcels fermented separately in a mix of wood and cement vats, then moved to barrel for malolactic fermentation and aging of up to 16 months. Racking was reduced from every three months to twice total over the aging period, new oak was cut to 60%, and the barrel toast level was kept to no more than "moyenne," or average. Starting with the 1997 vintage, the team began lightly filtering the wine, using a filter no coarser than 3 microns; Derenoncourt told Wine Spectator, "The tannins were granular. The filtering is light, no more than 3 microns. Most people think filtering is automatically bad for a wine, but the result is finer tannins. The wine lost its rough texture." Derenoncourt considered the 1998 vintage the first true grand vin of Pavie-Macquin, citing its minerality and precision, per the same 2014 account. The Saint-Émilion wine council's estate profile lists the harvest as manual, tanks as concrete, aging split between 60% new barrels and 40% barrels that have held one wine or more, and annual average production around 40,000 bottles.

• Own site: soil-respectful, organic-minded viticulture; whole-berry vinification, gentle pigeage extraction, long maceration, aging on fine lees
• Cabernet Franc from in-house massale selection, planted on warmer, more limestone-marked plots
• Wine Spectator (2014): extraction shifted from délestage to pigeage; parcel-by-parcel fermentation in wood and cement vats; aging up to 16 months; racking cut from every 3 months to twice total; new oak reduced to 60%
• Light filtration (no coarser than 3 microns) introduced from the 1997 vintage, per Derenoncourt's account to Wine Spectator
• Derenoncourt regards 1998 as the estate's first true grand vin, for its minerality and precision (Wine Spectator, 2014)
• Harvest manual, tanks concrete, aging 60% new barrels / 40% barrels of one wine or more, annual average production around 40,000 bottles (Saint-Émilion wine council profile)

The grand vin, Château Pavie-Macquin, is described on the estate's own site as a powerful, fleshy wine with minerality, freshness and generosity, grown predominantly on strong clay over limestone bedrock. Molasses soils combined with asteriated limestone give the wine power, tension and a deep meatiness, while ancient colluvial soils containing silt add lightness while retaining the mineral tension of the limestone. Cabernet Franc is planted in limestone soils with bare rock, which warm more quickly and let the variety develop fully, giving the blend its backbone and complexity; the wine is topped off with 2% old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon. The second wine, Les Chênes de Macquin, is named for the oak trees (chênes) planted as ornaments and emblems of the property along the edge of the plateau. According to the estate's own site, vineyard parcels are harvested in small increments as each vine reaches full ripeness and are vinified and aged separately; this mosaic of separately aged plots is then used to create the estate's two final wines, Château Pavie-Macquin and Les Chênes de Macquin, each expressing the generosity and typicity of the site in every vintage.

• Château Pavie-Macquin (grand vin): powerful, fleshy, mineral wine from clay-over-limestone soils; 2% old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend
• Les Chênes de Macquin (second wine): named for oak trees planted along the plateau's edge
• Vineyard parcels harvested in small increments per vine ripeness, vinified and aged separately before blending into the two final wines

Following the viticulture developed by Thienpont and Derenoncourt, the estate's own site states that Château Pavie-Macquin reached the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé in 2006, a position it says was confirmed in 2012. The Saint-Émilion wine council's list of the 2022 classification places Château Pavie-Macquin among the Premiers Grands Crus Classés, the tier below Premier Grand Cru Classé A, which in 2022 was held only by Château Figeac and Château Pavie.

• Reached Premier Grand Cru Classé rank in 2006 (own site); confirmed in 2012 (own site)
• Listed among the Premiers Grands Crus Classés (not the A tier) in the Saint-Émilion wine council's 2022 classification

Primary sources (producer's own site, pavie-macquin.com): https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/a-pioneer-who-became-famous-in-saint-emilion/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/a-search-for-balance-and-excellence/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/the-flavor-of-the-land/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/chateau-pavie-macquin/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/les-chenes-de-macquin/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/en/albert-macquin/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/une-viticulture-respectueuse-de-la-vie-du-sol/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/les-sols-tous-argilo-calcaires/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/fin-1994-nicolas-thienpont-est-nomme-gerant/, https://www.pavie-macquin.com/30-ans/. Secondary sources: Les Vins de Saint-Émilion (the appellation's wine council), 2022 classification listing and estate profile; Wine Spectator, "A Generation of Château Pavie Macquin" by James Molesworth, December 18, 2014. Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.