2006 Pavie

Another sleeper of the vintage from Perse, this wine shows lots of licorice, underbrush, blackcurrants and black cherries, cedary wood spice, a round, expansive, full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful texture and again, stunning purity, all while remaining relatively youthful. This wine probably won’t hit its prime for at least another 4-6 years and is certainly capable of lasting a quarter of a century afterward.||| Pavie is widely acclaimed as one of Bordeaux’s greatest terroirs, of largely limestone and clay soils. Brilliantly situated with a sunny, southern exposure and exceptional drainage, Pavie potentially rivals nearby Ausone, the oldest and possibly the most famous estate in Bordeaux. Pavie’s other nearby neighbors include, Pavie-Macquin and Troplong-Mondot to the north, Larcis-Ducasse to the southeast and La Gaffelière and Saint-Georges Côte Pavie to the west. | Until 1978, previous owners rarely produced great wine, but of course that all changed with the acquisition of the 92-acre, single vineyard by Chantal and Gérard Perse. In short, they dramatically raised the quality. Currently, the vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but the actual blend for each vintage tends to possess slightly higher amounts of Merlot. A perfectionist, owner Gérard Perse is flexible with the percentage of new oak, as well as how long the wine is aged in cask. Great vintages can get 100% new oak and spend up to 32 months in barrel. Lesser years are bottled after 18 months and see at least 30% less new oak.| There is no fining or filtration. The resulting wine has been considered one of the superstars of Bordeaux since 1978. eRobertParker.com.August, 2015

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Chateau Pavie has a rich, generous, almost opaque bouquet with raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry, vanilla and melted tar, very well-defined and focused - perhaps more so than the 2006 Angelus? The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, a keen line of acidity, very harmonious in the mouth with black cherries, wild strawberry, citrus fruit, a touch of tar and tobacco developing towards the finish. It leans towards Cheval Blanc in style, but whatever its semblances, it remains a very well-crafted Saint Emilion with a long future ahead. Tasted January 2016. May 2016, www.robertparker.com