Andrew Jefford: Saturated, dark, dense midnight black. Earthy, stony, rich, slabby: much less fruit perfume than the three Pavies, but there is more flesh, fat, and “mineral” force evident here. On the palate, this is big, rich, sturdy, and vivid; the fruit is just a little raisiny, and there isn’t quite the wealth of delivery that the aromas contrived to suggest. Every berry has been teased to perfect ripeness, but the overall effect is perhaps to exclude the diagnostic freshness that is what many people will be looking to be charmed by in this vintage. All that said, this is a big, lavish, soft-textured wine of magnificent generosity, depth, and detail, and eminently worthy of comparison with every other fine Bordeaux of 2012. 2020–30. 93