Peter Michael "Les Pavots" Estate Red 2019
(Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California) - [JS 99] [JD 98] [VM 96] [WA 96] [TWI 94]

About the Winery:
Founded by Sir Peter Michael in 1983 with a singular vision: to make wine in the terroir-driven tradition of Burgundy and Bordeaux, yet under the California sun and in California soil.

Peter Michael Winery owns three estates: Knights Valley, Seaview (Sonoma Coast), and Oakville (Napa Valley). All rest on steep hillsides ranging in elevation from 500 to nearly 2000 feet and are the only sources for Peter Michael's wines.

About this Wine:
Les Pavots, French for “The Poppies,” was named by Lady Michael after the wild California poppies that color the landscape of the Knights Valley ranch. The vineyard is planted on the slopes of Mount Saint Helena, delivering distinct aromas and flavors that characterize our proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Since the debut 1989 vintage, this refined Cabernet blend offers a signature profile of blueberry notes, a hint of herbs de Provence, and a wonderful expression of the full spectrum of red Bordeaux varieties.

Winegrowing Notes:
Grown on the slopes of Mount Saint Helena in Knights Valley, the distinctive aromas and flavors of our proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot display their hillside origins. Rocky, rhyolitic soils created through volcanic activity millennia ago contribute a mineral richness and add to the wine’s complexity. Spanning 46 acres, the red Les Pavots blocks ascend to an elevation of nearly 1,400 feet. Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown on the cool upper slopes, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot below.

Tasting Notes:
The brilliant ruby-garnet 2019 ‘Les Pavots’ showcases an olfactory symphony of blackberry, dark chocolate, black cherry, and vanilla aromas, with supporting notes of tobacco, violets, and garrigue. A refined, elegant entry leads to a broad,  graceful mid-palate with silky, fine-grained tannins, hints of black tea, blackberry pie, caramel, and cocoa powder, with a long, lingering finish. Although approachable in its youth, the 2019 ‘Les Pavots’ will reward four years of cellaring and continue to blossom for two decades.

Varietal Composition:
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot

Ratings & Reviews

99 Points - James Suckling:
"This is very perfumed with blackberry and pine-cone aromas, as well as raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins that are tight-grained. Creamy and beautiful. Currant and graphite flavors come through. Lightly chewy at the end. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 14% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Drink after 2025." (Dec 2021)

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2019 Les Pavots is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the remainder Petit Verdot. It has unfolding layers of dark minerals, with graphite, boysenberry liqueur, and fresh leather. The palate is expressive of its mountain fruit, with more gripping structure but no harsh edges. This is a remarkable wine to hold a few years and enjoy over the following two decades." - Audrey Frick (Aug 2022)

96 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots is a dense, powerful wine that is going to need at least a few years to shed some baby fat.  A rush of blue/purplishfruit, lavender, sage , tobacco, grilled herbs and incense washes across the palate.  There's terrific depth, but the 2019 is so young.  The 2019 is one of the more refined young Les Pavots I can remember tasting.  It will be exquisite in another few years' time." - Antonio Galloni (Jun 2022)

96 Points - Wine Advocate:
"In 2009, Peter Michael purchased the former Showket Vineyard in Oakville, on the hillside below Continuum and above Dalla Valle. That is the source for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot. Matured in 60% new French oak, it's a fairly forward, opulent wine, marked by scents of cigar box, tobacco, cassis, cherries and fine leather. Full-bodied, rich and velvety without being chocolaty or overdone, the lingering finish is—texturally—plush winter-weight flannel pajamas interwoven with complex, faintly herbal threads." - Joe Czerwinski (May 2022)

94 Points - The Wine Independent:
"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Les Pavots is a little broody to begin, giving up notes of creme de cassis, tar, and black truffles, leading to suggestions of preserved plums, tapenade, and cedar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has firm, rugged tannins and just enough freshness to support the muscular fruit, finishing savory. Fruit set was variable in Knights Valley in 2019, so this was a lower yielding year." - LPB (Jun 2022)