Esprit de Pavie 2012

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Château Pavie's pharaonic cellars live up to its Premier Grand Cru Classé A status, achieved in 2012. The vineyards, like the cellars, have been entirely restructured in recent vintages by Gérard Perse, who has embodied the revival of the estate since his purchase in 1998. His cultural and financial commitment is total: the plots of land that unite the plateau and the south coast are now spread over 37 hectares, between the Châteaux Pavie-Decesse, Larcis-Ducasse and La Gaffelière. The wine's style combines, in a balance so far unique on the Right Bank, the utmost fullness with a precisely calibrated nobility of texture. The great terroirs speak with flamboyant majesty, provided you know how to wait at least a decade, otherwise you risk missing out on the real complexity of the vintage (the 2000 vintage tasted recently showed exceptional elegance and fullness). The 2016 and 2017 have become even more nuanced, reaching a peak. Those in a hurry can already invest in esprit-de-pavie: a sappy, very tasty Bordeaux for less than 20 euros!

Guide Hachette des vins

About the domain :

Truly established in the 19th century, Pavie extends its vast 37-hectare vineyard on the eponymous hillside, one of the cradles of local viticulture in the 4th century. Its unique terroir in three parts: the limestone plateau, the deep, dense clay hillside, and the slightly gravelly, sandy-clay foot of the hillside, justifies its inclusion in 2012 among the gotha of A-classified 1ergrands crus. 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, confirms the cru's rise to the top and enables even more precise vinification.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the wine:

A great wine in a "small" appellation with the expertise of the Perse team. This wine offers great suppleness and a touch of freshness on the basis of liquorice tannins bursting with black fruit.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

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

About the domain :

Acquired in 1997 by Gérard Perse, the cru has gone from strength to strength ever since, defending a resolutely modern style of high concentration. Extremely low yields, the quest for high grape maturity, advanced extraction and luxurious ageing: all the factors needed to theoretically improve the quality of the wines are in place. And the investments never stop... The impressive and massive extension of the cellars, the winery and above all the creation of a luminous 600 m2 Versailles-style reception room, inaugurated in June 2013. The estate's aim is not to make easy, immediate wines, but to make wines that last. The terroir of the south coast, one of the finest in Saint-Émilion, favors the longevity of the wines. Without losing any of their monumental character, recent vintages show a slight inflection in the direction of greater flexibility in the early years, with more natural expression.

James Suckling

Jeb Dunnuck