2005 Château Pavie
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Tasting notes
Naughty heavy bottle. Blackish crimson. Heady and porty. Meaty flavours with almost uncomfortable density – for now anyway. Then there's a rather sudden, tough, drying finish. (JR)
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A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have many times, the 2005 Château Pavie is unquestionably one of the finest vintages from this Chateau, checking with the likes of the 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2020. I’d say just outside of its adolescent years, it’s still ruby/purple hued with incredible aromatics of ripe dark fruits, truffly earth, graphite, and leather. Possessing blockbuster richness, full body, velvety, seamless tannins, and no hard edges, this is quintessential Pavie all the way. Drink this magical elixir over the coming 15-20 years.
The 2005 Pavie is deep garnet with a touch of brick. It skips out of the glass with bright, lively notes of Morello cherries, plum preserves, red roses, and candied violets followed by hints of menthol, dark chocolate, and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is so vibrant and energetic that it sparkles. Youthful red and black fruit notes comingle with mineral and floral sparks, framed by fine-grained tannins and wonderful tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This is a triumph
Still young, vibrant, tannic and stubbornly holding on to its adolescence, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and mineral-driven, finishing with loads of salty tannins, ripe, deep, dark red fruits, licorice, espresso, earth and plums. If you have the patience, give it another 5 years in the bottle before opening, and it should prove to be a better tasting experience.
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.