2019 Château Pavie-Decesse 750ml

From a small vineyard located on the limestone slopes above Pavie itself, the Perse family's 2019 Pavie Decesse exhibits aromas of ripe cherries, crème de cassis and fruit liqueurs mingled with notions of menthol, vanilla pod and cloves. Full-bodied, rich and extracted, it's thick and muscular, with lively acids and prodigious reserves of chewy tannin that assert themselves on the finish. While it is a touch toned down by comparison with the wines produced here a decade ago, it remains one of the inkiest, most extracted wines in Saint-Émilion. I tend to think that an even gentler vinification would bear dividends without sacrificing the concentration and intensity of flavor that can be taken for granted with a terroir of such quality and viticulture of such exigence.

When I tasted the 2019 Pavie-Decesse as a barrel sample, I suggested that this was one cuvée that flirted with over-maturity. Revisiting it after bottling, I find that the aforementioned prune-like aromas have somewhat abated on the nose, though it does not quite have the precision of the 2019 Pavie. The palate is dense and quite muscular, and here I feel the alcohol more, some warmth creeping in. The acidity is fine and there is a touch of mineralité , but the finish just lacks the sapidity that I find in the Pavie. Observing this Pavie-Decesse over several hours, I must confess that it becomes overwhelmed by the alcohol and warmth, and as such, I must be parsimonious with my score.