Appellations

Pavie Decesse 2018

St Emilion, Grand Cru Classé

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Tasting Notes

From an incredible terroir on the upper plateau, just above Pavie, the 2018 Château Pavie Decesse is a normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in mostly new French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by an incredibly classic limestone-driven bouquet of chalky minerality, white flowers, truffle, lead pencil, and cassis and blackberry-like fruits. This carries to an incredibly pure, full-bodied Saint-Emilion with nicely integrated acidity, flawless balance, building tannins, and a great finish. This remarkable, elegant yet powerful 2018 won't hit full maturity for another 10-12 years, but it's a magical Saint-Emilion that should live for 30-40 years.

Score: 98 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2031 - 2066 Date: 21 July 2021

All from the upper plateau and incredible limestone soils, the 2018 Château Pavie Decesse is a crazy good wine that's going to flirt with perfection. Black raspberries, cassis, crushed stone, exotic flowers, and an incredible salinity all give way to a full-bodied, concentrated yet elegant wine that just glides over the palate. Made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, it’s going to require 4-6 years of bottle age, but it’s one of the great wines of the vintage.

Score: 97 - 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Date: 01 May 2019

Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.57 and 14.52% alcohol, the 2018 Pavie Decesse is deep garnet-purple in color, bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of stewed black and red cherries, plum pudding and blackberry preserves, leading to an undercurrent of Indian spices, cardamom, camphor and star anise, plus a waft of woodsmoke. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely coated with black fruit preserves and exotic spices, supported by a firm, velvety texture and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering menthol note. It is absolutely scrumptious right now, but give it 4-5 years or more in bottle for experiencing that next-level, and drink it over the following 25+ years.

Score: 97 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025 - 2050 Date: 16 July 2021

Grapes for this wine come from the plateau and were harvested October 3 with yields of 32 hectoliters per hectare. Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.57 and 14.52% alcohol, the 2018 Pavie Decesse is deep purple-black in color and strides confidently out of the glass with a very serious nose of crushed blackberries, warm black plums, mulberries and cassis plus touches of camphor, lavender, black olives and crushed rocks with a waft of woodsmoke. Full-bodied and laden with taut, muscular black fruit and loads of mineral accents, it has a firm structure of super ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing freshness, finishing very long and very layered.

Score: 96 - 98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 23 April 2019

The 2018 Pavie-Decesse was picked on 3 October (just one day). It has an intense and unashamedly floral bouquet with plenty of dried violet petals infusing the black cherry and blueberry fruit - very precocious. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannin, great weight in the mouth with a harmonious finish that just needs to develop more charm. But the fineness of tannins should see this through if you can afford it several years in the cellar.

Score: 92 - 94 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2050 Date: 01 November 2019

Always one of my favourites in the Perse stable, this is once again delicious. Chewy tannins are joined by ripples of coffee and soft brambly fruits, subtly shifting gear as it moves through the palate. The average age of the vines here is 51 years old, which helps to give depth of flavour. There's a sense of straining against the barricades here, with the fruit being firmly held in check by the tannins. It's not going anywhere soon. 32hl/ha yield in 2018 - a pretty typical yield here. 100% new oak. 3.57pH.

Score: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2026-2040 Date: 15 April 2019

Powerful young red with blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, very strong and concentrated with great length and minerality at the end. Finesse with power.

Score: 97 - 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 11 April 2019

The 2018 Pavie-Decesse is laced with the essence of blackberry jam, grilled herbs, spice, leather and tobacco, all of which add to an impression of brooding power. This massively tannic, backward Saint-Émilion is going to require patience, but there is certainly plenty to look forward to. In 2018, Pavie-Decesse impresses with its vertical intensity and pure power.

Score: 92 - 95 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 01 April 2019

Well-endowed, with creamed boysenberry, fig and loganberry flavors, this is a step ahead of the pack. As lush as the fruit is, this shows admirable grip and some flashy spice and toast notes filling in throughout. A head-turner in the making.

Score: 95 - 98 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Date: 28 March 2019