Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve | A subtle change combining the usual power of the growth with slightly less demonstrative adornments, new wood especially. The tannins are structured and ripe, the finish is long. This wine is less a long-distance runner than the ’15 and ’16 vintages, and more a slim, muscular hurdler. | 95

Michael Schuster | A fine, rich, faintly raisiny fruit nose with no obvious mineral presence—at this stage anyway. Full, vivid in acidity, finely but slightly wood drily tannic; great sweetness and concentration of fruit, long, racy, tenacious and complex to taste, with a fine purity, poise, and elegance—indeed, almost a delicacy. As usual, you sense the quality of the vineyard in the transparency of fruit and the overall finesse, and there is a lovely persistence. Nonetheless, it remains a style where the winemaking is clear, still a bit at the expense of the wine. But Pavie is now picking slightly earlier, and practicing a more restrained winemaking, with slightly shorter maceration, less extraction, fewer remontages, and so on. And it shows...for the better. Fine wine, as always, in its individual way. And as always, it will need plenty of time to mellow and to harmonize. 2032–50+. | 93–94