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Château Pavie, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion
Château Pavie

Château Pavie, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2023

justerini & brooks tasting note

Gerard Perse's wines are quite divisive. The unashamedly large-scale wines do not find favour with everyone. His flagship, Chateau Pavie gleams from its wonderful site on the limestone and clay slopes of the eponymous Cote Pavie. Produced from 51% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon this is another big, rich wine. Firm acids and a sense of strictness below the sweet fruit facade. Somewhat hollow at the moment, with this dense sweet concentration to the fruit. Finishes with large-scale tannins laced with dark minerals and candied raspberry.

critic reviews

98-100/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2023 Pavie is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a few moments of swirling to unlock scents of blueberry pie, cassis, and preserved plums, eventually giving way to a gorgeous perfume of violets, star anise, cedar chest, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with bright, fresh black fruit layers, framed by firm, ripe, rounded tannins and Pavie's signature tension, finishing very long and very fragrant. This is breathtaking! The blend is 51% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, with pH 3.66.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2060
date of review 05/2024
96/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Plus damson and black cherry fruits, rich and ripe but balanced by tomato leaf, pumice stone. This is intense and concentrated, skilfully constructed showing fragrant cumin and turmeric spice that lifts through the palate, opening to show black tea, blood orange, cocoa bean, mint leaf, totally delicious and speaks clearly of its limestone soils. Feels at the top of its game. Harvest September 18 to October 5, 72% new oak for ageing, Gerard Perse owner.

DRINKING WINDOW 2033 - 2048
date of review 05/2024
95-97/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Pavie was picked from September 18 to October 5 at 32.76hL/ha, with some Cabernet Franc actually picked after the Cabernet Sauvignon. Raised in 72% new French oak plus one-year-old barrels, this has a very well-defined and fresh bouquet that articulates the terroir with some style. It is completely different from the Pavie wines I tasted at the estate 10 to 15 years ago—more classical and sophisticated. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean and precise entry. It's lightly spiced with a subtle marine influence—shucked oyster shells and seaweed are embroidered through the black fruit. There's a dash of black pepper toward the finish that remains focused and feels long in the mouth. This is an excellent Pavie in the making.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2060
date of review 04/2024

product details

Country:
France
Region:
Bordeaux
Appellation:
Style:
Grape Variety:
abv:
13%