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Tasting notes
The 2014 Pavie is one of my preferred vintages of the decade, perhaps because the growing season put a leash on its power. It has a forward and generous nose, but there is clearly as much complexity as the Figeac that precedes it: dark berry fruit, iron filings, cedar and just a hint of tobacco. Quite involving. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, harmonious and pliant, decent acidity with a silky smooth, persistent finish. This has some way to go. Excellent. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Wine Spectator
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Dark with bricky rim. Sweeter and riper-smelling than the Figeac but still with cedary freshness. Firm, chewy and deep in fruit. Generous, the tannins less resolved but there’s fruit to fill out the core. Needs a little more time. (JH)
Tasted blind. Glowing dark crimson. Not much nose. Lots of rich dried-fruit character and a rather dry finish. Quite dramatic and quite alcoholic with an impression of cinders. Ambitious with lots there. (JR)
The 2014 Pavie may ultimately be seen as the vintage where Gérard Perse's jewel turned a corner in terms of more Cabernet, earlier picking and less new oak. It is certainly shining in bottle. Even compared to the 2000 and 2010 I find more precision and detail in the aromatics, more of that propitious terroir coming through. You can sense that limestone. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, more approachable than I expected, with the Cabernet Sauvignon more pronounced on the graphite-tinged finish. This has great potential. Tasted at Berry Brothers & Rudd Pavie dinner.
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.