100 Robert Parker
While the Perses may think the 2005 is the summit of winemaking at Pavie, this vintage certainly gives serious competition to both the 2005 and 2000. It is certainly the most opulent and luxuriously rich wine Pavie has ever made (and that is saying something). Pavie’s style of low yields, ripe fruit and serious extraction does produce, even in lighter vintages, a very concentrated and dense wine, but in the great years, the results are legendary. This wine has an inky purple color and a stunningly sweet, ripe nose of mulberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and incense. The oak still has some presence in the aromatics, as well as in the full-bodied, very concentrated, skyscraper-like mouthfeel and texture. This wine feels almost as if you could lose your palate in it, it is so dense and deep, yet at the same time it possesses silky tannins and rather remarkable purity, balance, and a good 60-second-plus finish. This is an amazing wine and probably will be drinkable in 5-10 years (although actually it could be drunk now because of the vintage’s voluptuous texture), and again, seems to have 50 or more years of longevity. It is clearly a modern Bordeaux legend.
Pavie is widely acclaimed as one of Bordeaux’s greatest terroirs, of largely limestone and clay soils. Brilliantly situated with a sunny, southern exposure and exceptional drainage, Pavie potentially rivals nearby Ausone, the oldest and possibly the most famous estate in Bordeaux. Pavie’s other nearby neighbors include, Pavie-Macquin and Troplong-Mondot to the north, Larcis-Ducasse to the southeast and La Gaffelière and Saint-Georges Côte Pavie to the west.
Until 1978, previous owners rarely produced great wine, but of course that all changed with the acquisition of the 92-acre, single vineyard by Chantal and Gérard Perse. In short, they dramatically raised the quality. Currently, the vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but the actual blend for each vintage tends to possess slightly higher amounts of Merlot. A perfectionist, owner Gérard Perse is flexible with the percentage of new oak, as well as how long the wine is aged in cask. Great vintages can get 100% new oak and spend up to 32 months in barrel. Lesser years are bottled after 18 months and see at least 30% less new oak.
There is no fining or filtration. The resulting wine has been considered one of the superstars of Bordeaux since 1978.
98 Wine Spectator
This is massively rendered, with powerful notes of dark fig, currant and blackberry fruit intertwined with ganache, maduro tobacco and tar. Yet the overall impression is both polished and driven, with a buried graphite edge and lingering spice notes that hint at the reward for extended cellaring. It's amazing to see the results when ambition and execution are equal. Best from 2020 through 2040. 7,080 cases made. –JM
19 Rene Gabriel
70 % Merlot, 20 % Cabernet Franc, 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon. 28hl/ha. Extrem dunkles Purpur mit lila und violetten Reflexen. Unerhört dichtes Maulbeeren- und Preiselbeerenbouquet, viele ganz kleine reife Frücht zeigend, Amarenakirschen, ein Hauch Kaffee und parfümierte, frische Kräuternoten. Im Gaumen sehr konzentriert, fette Tannine die durch deren Reife erste Rundungen zeigen. Ein massiver Pavie mit viel Charakter. Wird mindestens 10 Jahre brauchen um überhaupt einen Teil dessen zu zeigen was in ihm steckt. Zwei Mal verkostet. Einmal bei Dourthe und einmal auf dem Château. 10: Eine Power-Droge in der Nase, gekochte Kirschen, heller Edelhölzer, Pralinen und Milchkaffee. Ein Wahnsinnspaket für Übermorgen. Sucht man nach einem grossen Bordeaux, müsste man ihn strafen - trotz der Weltklasse. warten (2020 - 2055)
