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-nine acres, Les Pavots ascends 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.
The complex bouquet of blackberry, boysenberry, black cherry, crème de cassis, and dark chocolate with floral notes of dried rose petals and violets exude from the glass of the captivating, shimmering deep red-robed 2020 ‘Les Pavots’. A plush, graceful entry builds to a broad mid-palate supported by very fine tannins. Black tea, dark chocolate, graphite, caramel, and savory notes culminate in a late mid-palate burst before resolving in a long, smooth finish. This is a classy, refined Les Pavots.
97 points JS: This is a powerful red with blackberry, black olive and a hint of mint. Some brown sugar, too. Full-bodied and dense, with lots of fruit and velvety, plush tannins. Crushed-stone and wet-earth character, too. The higher percentage of merlot (14%) and no cabernet franc makes this unique for Les Pavots. Give it three or four years to open.
