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Tasting notes
This was a different era for Pavie, making it fascinating to taste now (particularly as it is now returning to some of these more traditional choices, including the blend seen here with high Cabernet content). Set on one of the steepest slopes in St Emilion, with plenty of clay among the limestone, making for a naturally powerful site that delivers long ageing wines, this majors on earthy, autumnal fruits, tertiary tobacco notes, floral rosebud aromatics, liquorice bud, spiced fennel and white pepper. A little lighter in colour than the two 1990s, not quite as brilliant in its reflections, deep cherry core with brick around the edges. The bouquet takes its time to come out, but it gathers force in the glass, showing crème de mure blackberry liqueur, gentle, and elegant, with the savoury edge of limestone. Need time in a carafe, because its charms are underrated at first. Gerard Perse arrived in 1998, so this was made under Jean-Paul Valette, who family had been owners since the 1940s, with Thierry Valette as Estate Manager. 55hl/h yield. Pascal-Ribereau Gayon consultant.
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More reviews and scores
The 1989 Pavie came from a bottle in my own collection. This predates Gérard Perse's acquisition by almost a decade. It does not quite match the 1990 Pavie, but it continues to drink well. The bouquet has lost some of its vigor in recent years, vestiges of pressed rose petals mingling with mushroom scents and a touch of tobacco. It betrays a wine that perhaps did not attain physiological ripeness. The palate is balanced, relatively simple but still fresh, and the old-school, almost Graves-like finish is abrupt. Large formats might be interesting, but bottles should be drunk soon. Tasted at home over dinner.
60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the wine that Neal Martin gave me blind when he interviewed me for his blog before it disappeared behind erobertparker.com’s paywall. Lustrous fox red. Lot of gamey development and sweetness. On the way down but lots of pleasure. Except for technocrats. Very hedonist and so soft (though quite refreshing enough) that you could actually drink it without food. (JR)
About the producer
The slopes of Château Pavie were planted as far back as the fourth century by the Ancient Romans and it has been a well-known producer in Saint-Émilion since the middle of the 19th century.