Château Pavie, 1er Grand Cru Classé, St Emilion, 2023
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
The 2023 Pavie was picked at 32.76 hl/ha and raised in 72% new oak. This has a cohesive bouquet with black cherries, iodine, violet and just a touch of tinned prune in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins that frame mainly black fruit mixed with vanilla pod, orange rind and cracked black pepper. Quite structured toward the spicy finish, this will require at least five years in bottle just to polymerize the tannins on the end.
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.
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.