Chateau Pavie 1er Grand Cru Classé A St Emilion 2022

Country: France Region: Saint Emilion, Bordeaux

Varietal:  Merlot 52%, Cabernet Franc 30% and Cabernet Sauvignon 18%

Vintage: 2022 Colour: Red Style: Dry

Producer: Chateau Pavie

Description:

The estate:
The origins of the estate go back a long way. Vines have been cultivated on the slopes of what is now Château Pavie since the 4th century. Owned by Chantal and Gérard Perse since March 1998, Château Pavie, Premier Grand Cru Classé "A," boasts one of the finest terroirs in Saint-Émilion.

Château Pavie is renowned for the structure and elegance of its wines, which are the result of a harvest that is contained within yields that are lower than the average for the appellation, in order to reveal all the nuances of this exceptional terroir.

The vineyard:
Château Pavie 2022 is a Saint-Émilion wine made from a single 42-hectare vineyard. Situated to the south-east of the Saint-Émilion hillside, the vineyard is spread over three levels, with vines that are on average 34 years old. The "plateau" (85 metres above sea level) is composed of clay-limestone soil above asteriated limestone and the "mid-slope" (55 metres above sea level) is composed of fine-textured brown clay-limestone soil. The "foot of the hill" is made up of sandy/sandy-clay and sandy-gravel soils.

Particular attention is paid to the vineyard, part of which has been the subject of a replanting plan that includes raising the trellising to increase the leaf area, specific pruning according to the age of the vines, thinning and leaf removal.

Winemaking and ageing:
Hand-picked and sorted. Vinification in temperature-controlled wooden vats. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in barrels, as is ageing (75% new barrels, 25% one-wine barrels).

100/100 Points
Jeb Dunnuck
"Looking at the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Pavie is 52% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 75% new barrels for 20 months. It brings a more focused, precise style in its darker berries, graphite, crushed stone, and floral aromatics and flavors. These carry to a full-bodied Pavie with flawless overall balance, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This pure, powerful, yet aristocratic Pavie will benefit from 7–8 years (you can drink it even today) and have 3–4 decades of longevity."

99/100 Points
Falstaff
"Deep dark ruby garnet, inky, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate rim brightening. Fine nuances of liquorice, floral notes, black forest berries, cassis and tangerine zest, inviting bouquet. Substantial, tightly meshed, mineral and taut, tight tannins, ripe and long lasting, dark fruit on the finish, showing great length and certain ageing potential"

97/100 Points
Jane Anson
"Steel and spliced black fruits on the opening, juicy, powerful and intense with blueberry and damson, cedar and sandalwood, a slab of dark chocolate, and an edge of oyster shell salinity. Tension, power, beauty. No Pavie Decesse, no Bellevue Mondotte as of this vintage, both are now entirely included in Pavie, and both exceptional additions. 25 years of Perse ownership. 75% new oak."

18/20 Points
Jancis Robinson
"52% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. Includes parcels from Chx Bellevue Mondotte and Pavie Decesse integrated in the 2022 classification. Cask sample. Deep purple-black colour to the rim. Lovely depth of fruit – raspberry coulis with a stony freshness. Sapid and savoury on the palate, the tannins muscular but the texture smooth and fine. Tight and firm on the finish, a saline note highlighting the terroir. Powerful but controlled. Built for the ages. "

Tasting Notes:
Interwoven blueberry bouquet, sandalwood, raspberry jam, Brazilian tobacco and chocolate pastilles. On the palate, complex and linear, with a silky texture, a tight-knit tannic framework, balanced drive and a deep, muscular body. In the concentrated finish, an explosion of wild cherry, a full load of dark graphite, tarragon and lingering astringency.