($95; 44% cabernet sauvignon, 38% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot) Opaque ruby. Strikingly pure, complex aromas of redcurrant, cherry, spicecake, tobacco and licorice. Pliant, focused red fruit flavors are complemented by deeper notes of mocha and cola. Finishes with silky tannins and a slow-building mineral quality. With its clarity, juiciness and lingering spiciness, this is far more inviting than the brooding Pavots today.

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The second wine, the 2007 L'Esprit des Pavots (44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot), exhibits lots of smoky cassis, tobacco leaf, and chocolate characteristics presented in a full-bodied, fleshy, rich format. While it is unquestionably an outstanding wine, it is simply dwarfed by the prodigiousness of its bigger sibling.

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