Château Pavie - 1er Grand Cru Classé A 2012

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

A full-bodied, sculptural wine, deep and intense, with powerful, tight, and refined tannins. A wine of great style, very much in the Pavie tradition.

About the estate:

The grand cellars of Château Pavie are befitting of its status as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, achieved in 2012. The vineyard, like the cellars, has been completely restructured over the last few vintages by Gérard Perse, who has embodied the estate’s revival since its acquisition in 1998. His commitment to both viticulture and finance is total: the plots spanning the plateau and southern slope now cover 37 hectares, situated between the estates of Pavie-Decesse, Larcis-Ducasse, and La Gaffelière. The wine’s style achieves a balance—unique so far on the Right Bank—between the utmost richness and a precisely calibrated nobility of texture. The great terroirs speak with flamboyant majesty, provided one is willing to wait at least a decade; otherwise, one risks missing the true complexity of the estate. (The 2000 vintage, tasted recently, demonstrated exceptional elegance and fullness.) The 2016 and 2017 vintages have gained even more nuance and have reached their peak. Those in a hurry can already invest in Esprit-de-Pavie: a sappy and very flavorful Bordeaux for less than 20 euros!

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

In Pavia, Merlot accounts for 65% of the blend, complemented by Cabernet Franc (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are nearly half a century old. After a long maceration in wooden vats, the wine completes its fermentation and then ages for twenty-six months in barrels (all or mostly new, depending on the vintage). The resulting wine is dense and dark, reminiscent of violet ink. Its bouquet, still reserved, opens with elegant, fresh notes of blueberry, crème de cassis, and sweet spices, followed by graphite and pencil lead. Despite the length of aging, the well-integrated oak is almost imperceptible. After a delicate attack, tight tannins build in intensity, coating the palate all the way to the rich and warm finish. The fruit, so exuberant on the nose, remains somewhat subdued for now; but despite this imposing tannic presence, which signals a wine with great aging potential, the wine is by no means heavy and remains elegant from start to finish. Our readers will note that Pavie has adopted a new label—black and refined, befitting its stature.

About the estate:

Established in the 19th century, Pavie’s vast 37-hectare vineyard stretches across the eponymous hillside, one of the cradles of local viticulture dating back to the 4th century. Its unique terroir, divided into three distinct zones—the limestone plateau, the hillside with its dense, deep clay, and the sandy-clay foothills with a touch of gravel—justifies its inclusion in 2012 among the elite of the First Growths. This elevation is also due to the considerable investments made by its owner since 1998, Gérard Perse, a businessman who made his fortune in the retail sector. Inaugurated in 2013, a new winery designed by Alberto Pinto, a decorator of palaces and luxury hotels, marks the estate’s rise to the pinnacle of the industry and enables even more precise winemaking.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Saint-Émilion Class A with a new black label featuring gold lettering. Fortunately, every Pavie has benefited from this since Perse began a complete overhaul of the estate in 1998. Made from 47-year-old vines, the 2012 has an ink-purple color, a well-balanced, toasty, woody nose intertwined with generous notes of blackberry and blackcurrant, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich, and moderately tannic, it will need 5 to 7 years of bottle aging but will drink well for 20 to 30 years. Congratulations to Chantal and Gérard Perse for their extraordinary commitment to quality, which is so evident in this vintage—more challenging than some of the great years like 2009 and 2010. Very low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare were achieved from this 92-acre estate.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The 2012 Pavie, in its commemorative bottle, reveals itself with each tasting through remarkable elegance and balance, a fresh intensity that never overpowers, and a delicacy rarely found in vintages of this era.

About the estate:

Acquired in 1997 by Gérard Perse, the estate has gone from strength to strength ever since, championing a resolutely modern style characterized by intense concentration. Extremely low yields, a focus on achieving full ripeness in the grapes, aggressive extraction, and luxurious aging: all the factors that theoretically enhance wine quality are in place. And the investments never stop... The impressive and massive expansion of the cellars and fermentation facilities, and above all the creation of a bright, Versailles-style reception hall spanning 600 m², inaugurated in June 2013. The estate does not seek to produce easy, immediate wines, but rather to establish a long-term vision. The terroir of the southern slope, one of the very best in Saint-Émilion, favors the longevity of the wines. Without losing any of their grandeur, the latest vintages nevertheless show a slight shift toward greater flexibility in the early years, with a more natural expression.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

Tasting note: This is a powerful wine that has evolved toward a more elegant style in recent years. On the palate, it reveals delicious Merlot fruit accompanied by blackcurrant acidity and a dense structure. The finish offers subtle minerality and juicy acidity.

Jancis Robinson

James Suckling

About the wine:

What a magnificent wine, with notes of violet and sandalwood on the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied. Fine tannins. Enjoy it now.

Jeb Dunnuck