Description
The first vineyard to be planted on the Knights Valley Estate, Les Pavot ('The Poppies') remains the signature wine of Peter Michael. Spanning 49 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 in the warmer sections just below. Always a Cabernet Sauvignon-led Bordeaux Blend, the distinctive aromas of this exceptional wine clearly display the hillside terroir. Hand-harvested, vinified with meticulous care and aged for 18months in French oak, this stunning wine can stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best estates of the old world.
For the second consecutive year, winter and spring were very dry. However as the fruit matured, the weather was ideal for flavour development with only a couple of spikes of overly hot weather. The threat of rain ensured harvest was a very intense period, however it was completed just in time. 2009 Les Pavots reveals a profound, layered bouquet of coffee, cocoa bean, blackcurrant, strawberry, cigar box, black and red cherry, plum liqueur combined with vanilla, blueberry, subtle notes of cedar, pepper and its signature ‘garrigue’ touch. The complexity and intense character continue into the finish with a refined mouthfeel, lasting impressions of fruits, spices, truffles and tobacco on the palate and round silky tannins. 2009 Les Pavots has benefitted from a decade of ageing, but will continue to age gracefully through to 2030.