Pavie 2016

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A

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Tasting Notes
The 2016 Pavie a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a fragrant perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blueberries and eucalyptus over a core of preserved plums, kirsch, black raspberries and crème de cassis plus hints of licorice and chargrilled meat. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid foundation of firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness interknit with the black fruit preserves and minerally layers, finishing very long and very decadent. Superb! Score: 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2021-2060 29 March 2019
A barrel sample, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Pavie comes rolling out of the glass with the most wonderfully sensuous nose of violets, red roses, black tea and wild blueberries over a core of baked plums, blackberry compote, star anise and cloves plus touches of cinnamon stick and underbrush. Full-bodied and super concentrated in the mouth, the palate is built like a skyscraper with a solid structure of grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing very long with long-lingering mineral accents. Score: 98 - 100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 30 November 2018
The 2016 Pavie, matured in 80% new oak, has a thrilling bouquet of layers of small black cherries, boysenberry, fig and a hint of licorice, all very well defined; the oak is nicely integrated. The medium-bodied palate offers ripe, sappy black fruit, grippy tannin, a smooth texture and crisp acidity toward the finish. This is a seamless Pavie, but backward compared to its peers, and it needs several years in bottle before it even entertains the prospect of drinking pleasure. Score: 98 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2070 01 January 2019
The 2016 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon cropped at 38 hectoliters per hectare between 10 and 20 October. The alcohol this year is 14.55%, and it is matured in 80% new oak and 20% one-year-old wood. As Gérard Perse explained, this is a Pavie that has taken stock and shifted in direction in recent years, reflecting more of its exceptional terroir instead of winemaking. It has a very intense bouquet that is extremely well-defined and shrugs off that higher alcohol level. You can find the graphite vein courtesy of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the underlying tension, while a second bottle had a soupçon more florality. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe, supple tannins that gently caress the mouth. It feels beguiling and charming, totally different in style compared to say Cheval Blanc, offering a more sensual take on the 2016 growing season. It is a very impressive follow-up to the 2015 Pavie and may surpass it once in bottle. Score: 98 - 100 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2026-2060 28 April 2017
The 2016 Pavie is simply magnificent. Gracious, perfumed and exquisitely beautiful, the 2016 has it all. I can't remember seeing a Pavie with this much translucent energy and nuance. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol all infuse this explosive, young wine with tremendous character. In the glass, the 2016 is vivid, aromatically deep and full of saline-infused energy. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. As it turns out Gerard Perse also opened the 2008. Although the two vintages (2016 and 2008) in question are quite different in style and quality, the trajectory Pavie has taken in recent years is evident. The 2016 is a thrilling wine. That's all there is to it. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted two times. (98+) Score: 98 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2056 01 January 2019
Seamless, sumptuous and super-expressive, the 2016 Pavie is a real head-turner. It will be years before the 2016 is ready to show all it's got. Even so, it is an absolutely stunning wine. The 2016 is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, which is the most Franc that has ever gone into the Grand Vin. That gives the wine striking aromatic nuance to play off the exquisite, layered fruit. The 2016 is an exceptional wine by any measure. In a word: magnificent! Score: 97 - 100 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 25 April 2017
One of the most thrilling surprises of the vintage, here a new approach to a more finely-wrought Pavie has collided with a vintage that has natural freshness and acidity. The result shows the potential of this terroir. Without a doubt the best Pavie that I have ever tasted, and one where I have not had to say, 'yes, but...'. Let's not pretend that it's night and day from the old regime, but nor should it be - Pavie needs to keep its signature black fruited glamour and intensity, as that is part of what delivered its new status, but to my mind this is a far better balance than in the past. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the lowest amount of Merlot since Perse arrived. This still has reams of intense fruit, but the tannins are not immovable as they have been in some years, and pulses of minerality leap up on the finish to make your mouth water. Gorgeous. It is also fascinating to learn the techincal details that have helped bring out the vintage character - besides the lower Merlot content, there were 10 days less maceration than last year and only 70% new oak. Score: 97 Decanter, - Maturity: 2027-2050 21 April 2017
60% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new oak. Vivid ripe currant and cherry fruit, complex spicy notes, cappucino and then mineral lift. On the palate it is dense but reined in, much more elegant than Pavie of 10 years ago with gentler extraction, more Cabernet Franc in the blend and less new oak (70%) to achieve a more elegant style. 2016 has lovely mineral character with a hint of salinity on the end, very appetising and moreish with well-integrated tannins and great length. After the decadent 2015, 2016 Pavie is finer in texture, fresher and more complete. A sophisticated wine. Score: 95 - 98 Albany Vintners, - 19 April 2017
Merlot has been reduced from 80% to 60% (will be 50% soon) and there's some Cabernet Sauvignon. Extracted 10 days less than in 2015, and in 2015 seven days less than the average before. No longer using 100% new oak - just 70%. Same philosophy in 2016 for both Bellevue Mondotte and Pavie Decesse. Dark crimson. Rich, sweet nose. In the vineyard there's just 50% Merlot! Very sweet start and really hard work. But much less exaggerated than it used to be. Sinewy. Some appetising quality. Very juicy start but then it dries on the finish. These wines are very different from the others in the appellation and I have to conclude that the owner and team taste differently from me and don't mind the drying finishes. For drama this deserves my score and it may well settle down to something lovely eventually. Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2045 13 April 2017
This is a head-turner, with intense raspberry, cassis and boysenberry reduction notes pumping along, inlaid with a graphite edge and backed by waves of roasted apple wood, anise and fruitcake. Yet as large-scale as this is, it’s still harnessed by a fine, chalky minerality through the finish. "Wow" wine. Score: 97 - 100 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 06 April 2017
This is more compressed and tighter than the 2015. It’s full-bodied, but very tight and focused. So linear and long. Love the gorgeous finesse. Goes on for minutes. All about finesse - new profile. Score: 99 - 100 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 04 April 2017

Tasting Notes

The 2016 Pavie a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a fragrant perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blueberries and eucalyptus over a core of preserved plums, kirsch, black raspberries and crème de cassis plus hints of licorice and chargrilled meat. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid foundation of firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness interknit with the black fruit preserves and minerally layers, finishing very long and very decadent. Superb!

Score: 100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2021-2060 29 March 2019

A barrel sample, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Pavie comes rolling out of the glass with the most wonderfully sensuous nose of violets, red roses, black tea and wild blueberries over a core of baked plums, blackberry compote, star anise and cloves plus touches of cinnamon stick and underbrush. Full-bodied and super concentrated in the mouth, the palate is built like a skyscraper with a solid structure of grainy tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing very long with long-lingering mineral accents.

Score: 98 - 100

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com 30 November 2018

The 2016 Pavie, matured in 80% new oak, has a thrilling bouquet of layers of small black cherries, boysenberry, fig and a hint of licorice, all very well defined; the oak is nicely integrated. The medium-bodied palate offers ripe, sappy black fruit, grippy tannin, a smooth texture and crisp acidity toward the finish. This is a seamless Pavie, but backward compared to its peers, and it needs several years in bottle before it even entertains the prospect of drinking pleasure.

Score: 98

Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2070 01 January 2019

The 2016 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon cropped at 38 hectoliters per hectare between 10 and 20 October. The alcohol this year is 14.55%, and it is matured in 80% new oak and 20% one-year-old wood. As Gérard Perse explained, this is a Pavie that has taken stock and shifted in direction in recent years, reflecting more of its exceptional terroir instead of winemaking. It has a very intense bouquet that is extremely well-defined and shrugs off that higher alcohol level. You can find the graphite vein courtesy of the Cabernet Sauvignon and the underlying tension, while a second bottle had a soupçon more florality. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent, ripe, supple tannins that gently caress the mouth. It feels beguiling and charming, totally different in style compared to say Cheval Blanc, offering a more sensual take on the 2016 growing season. It is a very impressive follow-up to the 2015 Pavie and may surpass it once in bottle.

Score: 98 - 100

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2026-2060 28 April 2017

The 2016 Pavie is simply magnificent. Gracious, perfumed and exquisitely beautiful, the 2016 has it all. I can't remember seeing a Pavie with this much translucent energy and nuance. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol all infuse this explosive, young wine with tremendous character. In the glass, the 2016 is vivid, aromatically deep and full of saline-infused energy. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. As it turns out Gerard Perse also opened the 2008. Although the two vintages (2016 and 2008) in question are quite different in style and quality, the trajectory Pavie has taken in recent years is evident. The 2016 is a thrilling wine. That's all there is to it. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasted two times. (98+)

Score: 98

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2026-2056 01 January 2019

Seamless, sumptuous and super-expressive, the 2016 Pavie is a real head-turner. It will be years before the 2016 is ready to show all it's got. Even so, it is an absolutely stunning wine. The 2016 is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, which is the most Franc that has ever gone into the Grand Vin. That gives the wine striking aromatic nuance to play off the exquisite, layered fruit. The 2016 is an exceptional wine by any measure. In a word: magnificent!

Score: 97 - 100

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 25 April 2017

One of the most thrilling surprises of the vintage, here a new approach to a more finely-wrought Pavie has collided with a vintage that has natural freshness and acidity. The result shows the potential of this terroir. Without a doubt the best Pavie that I have ever tasted, and one where I have not had to say, 'yes, but...'. Let's not pretend that it's night and day from the old regime, but nor should it be - Pavie needs to keep its signature black fruited glamour and intensity, as that is part of what delivered its new status, but to my mind this is a far better balance than in the past. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the lowest amount of Merlot since Perse arrived. This still has reams of intense fruit, but the tannins are not immovable as they have been in some years, and pulses of minerality leap up on the finish to make your mouth water. Gorgeous. It is also fascinating to learn the techincal details that have helped bring out the vintage character - besides the lower Merlot content, there were 10 days less maceration than last year and only 70% new oak.

Score: 97

Decanter, - Maturity: 2027-2050 21 April 2017

60% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc, aged in 70% new oak. Vivid ripe currant and cherry fruit, complex spicy notes, cappucino and then mineral lift. On the palate it is dense but reined in, much more elegant than Pavie of 10 years ago with gentler extraction, more Cabernet Franc in the blend and less new oak (70%) to achieve a more elegant style. 2016 has lovely mineral character with a hint of salinity on the end, very appetising and moreish with well-integrated tannins and great length. After the decadent 2015, 2016 Pavie is finer in texture, fresher and more complete. A sophisticated wine.

Score: 95 - 98

Albany Vintners, - 19 April 2017

Merlot has been reduced from 80% to 60% (will be 50% soon) and there's some Cabernet Sauvignon. Extracted 10 days less than in 2015, and in 2015 seven days less than the average before. No longer using 100% new oak - just 70%. Same philosophy in 2016 for both Bellevue Mondotte and Pavie Decesse. Dark crimson. Rich, sweet nose. In the vineyard there's just 50% Merlot! Very sweet start and really hard work. But much less exaggerated than it used to be. Sinewy. Some appetising quality. Very juicy start but then it dries on the finish. These wines are very different from the others in the appellation and I have to conclude that the owner and team taste differently from me and don't mind the drying finishes. For drama this deserves my score and it may well settle down to something lovely eventually.

Score: 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2028-2045 13 April 2017

This is a head-turner, with intense raspberry, cassis and boysenberry reduction notes pumping along, inlaid with a graphite edge and backed by waves of roasted apple wood, anise and fruitcake. Yet as large-scale as this is, it’s still harnessed by a fine, chalky minerality through the finish. "Wow" wine.

Score: 97 - 100

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 06 April 2017

This is more compressed and tighter than the 2015. It’s full-bodied, but very tight and focused. So linear and long. Love the gorgeous finesse. Goes on for minutes. All about finesse - new profile.

Score: 99 - 100

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 04 April 2017

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