Peter Michael "Les Pavots" Estate Red 2022
(Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California) - [JS 96] [JD 96] [WA 95+] [VM 95] [DM 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.

Vintage Notes
The combination of drought conditions and mild winter temperatures prompted an early budbreak in the spring of 2022. The subsequent flowering period was also early and took place during uneven weather which resulted in less fruit setting and noticeably small clusters. A moderate July was followed by a series of heat events in August, then record-high temperatures in early September. After the heat came light rains then cooler temperatures in the last half of September and into October. Harvest started slightly early but had a normal mid-October finish date.

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 forty-six acres, the red Les Pavots blocks ascend to an elevation of nearly 1,400 feet. Merlot and Cabernet Franc grow on the cool upper slopes, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot below.

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The deep, ruby-red 2022 'Les Pavots' features an expressive bouquet of black currant, ripe dark cherry, blackberry, and blueberry compote with hints of black olive, dark chocolate, garrigue, dried rose petals and violets. The refined, silky entry leads to a plush, broad mid-palate with mouth-coating, very fine-grained tannins, hints of black tea and baking spices, and an extended, smooth finish. The 2022 'Les Pavots' shows both power and grace and will reward for years of cellaring, but will age well for decades.

Technical Details

Varietal Composition: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot

Aging: Aged eighteen months in 100% French oak barrels from select artisan coopers

Ratings & Reviews

96 Points - James Suckling: 
"A truly bold, powerful and focused Bordeaux-style blend with an intense core of black fruits, great tannin structure and sense of energy that drives through as you taste. Perhaps the original and current best example of red-blend perfection from Knights Valley. So well-balanced, ripe and generous, with blackberries and raspberries that expand on the palate. Drink now or hold." (Jul 2025)

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots offers considerable depth in its notes of black plum, blackberry liqueur, lavender perfume, and vanilla bean spice. It fills the palate with ripe fruit, plush tannins, and a light chalky texture, with blue fruit coming through. Another more immediate vintage of the wine with its more primary fruit shining through, its richer tannins emerge on the finish. Drink 2027-2040." - Audrey Frick (Jul 2025)

95+ Points - Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Les Pavots is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot from fruit harvested September 12 through October 14. It has pure, layered aromas of blueberry, blackcurrant, violet, iodine, chocolate and thyme. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and mineral-driven, its dark flavors laced with graphite. It’s structured by powerful, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, and it has a long, floral finish. It will benefit from several years in the cellar. A total of 2,397 cases were made, and the wine will be released in April of 2025.” – Erin Brooks (Mar 2025)

95 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots is a very classy wine. Aromatic and vibrant, with mid-weight structure, the Pavots is more finesse than power in 2022. Orange peel, spice, mint, dried herbs, cedar, pipe tobacco and incense build in the glass. This is beautifully done, in a lighter style than the norm. (Drink between 2026-2034)" - Antonio Galloni (Jan 2025)

94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Ripe and heady blackcurrant with cedar and tobacco touches as well as clove and garrigue herbs. Very scented. Supple and lithe, quite high acidity sets the tone and gives this bite and frame. Quite taut and coiled, clearly powerful with an underlying sense of heat and spice. Ends grippy and stony. High acidity, mouthwatering but not thick or too ripe, definitely more streamlined and focussed. This is tense in the sense it drives from start to finish not expanding but maintaining a direct core. There’s a sense of the alcohol in the tightness and slight heat on the finish but it’s not overly jammy in terms of fruit presentation. Keeps a lifted and elevated airy element. I like the refinement and there’s definitely purity to the fruit but it’s not super charming right now. I do love the construction though - very classy. Confident and long. Ageing 18 months, 70% new. 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend.” – Georgina Hindle (Jul 2025)