Château Pavie
About Château Pavie
The single largest classified St-Émilion property also happens to be one of the very finest, putting paid somewhat to the (Burgundian?) notion that there is an inverse relationship between the size of vineyard and quality.
The slope of Pavie’s 37 hectares under vine is just about as steep as any property in the whole of Bordeaux – dropping sharply from a lofty 85 meters down to 20 meters, with a mere 10% of their plantings on the level clay-limestone plateau. An enticing prospect for even the most vaguely vinous mind, and so it proved (with little doubt) to the Romans hundreds of years ago.
The modern origins of this legendary producer can be traced to a rather unglamorous founding as part of a 50-hectare négociant planting which saw Pavie clustered together with its current neighbour Pavie-Decesse. Eventually, the very same 37 hectares which constitute the property as we know it was sold to the Valette family in 1943.
Excellent wines were consistently produced throughout the family’s tenure, but a change in their fortunes saw ever-decreasing investment take its toll on their wines – the arrival and subsequent purchase of the beleaguered Pavie by Gérard Perse in 1998 was as welcome as it was necessary.
An immensely driven and ambitious man, Perse’s investment and unrelenting vision to create a St-Émilion of unrivalled breadth and power culminated in the incredible 2012 promotion to its current classification, the highest possible in the appellation.
The Winemaking and the wines
A late-ripening site by its very nature, the 60% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon are often picked at extraordinarily low yields and equally elevated ripeness. This is an unapologetically lush and expressive wine, driven by almost overwhelming black fruit intensity. As such, Pavie has a complicated relationship with critics and buyers alike, especially with those favouring the more restrained and classical expression of Bordeaux. What cannot be denied, however, is the sheer majestic quality of the winemaking and terroir.
There is a second wine called Pavie Les Arômes de Pavie.
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Bordeaux | 1 | 90 (WS) | HK$16,415.00 | |||||
Wine Spectator (90)Extremely well polished and fresh with plummy, toasted oak character. Medium-bodied with medium silky tannins and a long delicate finish. Drinkable now.--The Bordeaux 50. -JS |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$49,735.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Just a powerhouse of a wine that does everything right, the 2000 Château Pavie is drinking incredibly well today, offering huge blackcurrant and chocolatey darker berry fruits as well as loads of truffly earth, tobacco, and spice. Full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, it stays flawlessly balanced, and while I suspect the acidity is quite low, it has an incredible sense of freshness and a weightless texture. Fully mature, yet in the early part of its drink window, it has another two decades or prime drinking ahead of it. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$28,270.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)One of the wines of the vintage is the 2018 Château Pavie, and Gérard Perse continues to produce one of the greatest wines in the world, in just about every vintage. Based on 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 shows the slightly more restrained style of the estate today yet still brings classic Pavie richness, depth, and grandeur. Revealing a deep purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, damp earth, tobacco, chalk, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, incredible purity, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality on the blockbuster finish. There's a backward, inward style here that actually reminds me of the 2000. This is another magical, probably immortal wine from this terroir that marries power with elegance perfectly. Don't miss it! |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-97+ (JD) | HK$20,095.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (95-97+)The 2021 Château Pavie was one of the few wines in the vintage that got a big "wow" in my notes. Based on 52% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it's a full-bodied, dense, powerful, beautiful 2021 with classic Pavie darker, richer fruits, notes of spicy oak, chocolate, and violets, ripe velvety tannins, and a great finish. It's not at the 2019 or 2020 level, but don't hold that against it. This is pure brilliance in 2021 and one of the wines of the vintage. |
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