Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2025 Pavie was picked at just 21 hl/ha, the lowest ever, plus this is the first vintage with 60% Cabernet Franc from plantings in the 2000s. Matured in 65% new oak, the aromatics are far superior, more cohesive and purer than the Arômes cuvée. Still very plush and luxuriant, it has that purity, although it needs more delineation and terroir expression to come through. The palate is actually better than the nose and I appreciate the contribution that the Cabernet Franc makes in this wine, delivering fine structure and tension that I believe you would not have obtained if there were higher Merlot. Satisfying precision on the finish, this feels long in the mouth with cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. It is a different take on Pavie due to the different blend and if the aromatics can gain more complexity and nuance, then it could be an interesting proposition once in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The first time this château has included this much Cabernet Franc in the blend, the 2025 Château Pavie sports a saturated purple hue as well as a pure, focused bouquet of crème de cassis and assorted blue fruits intermixed with graphite, violets, leafy herbs, and freshly sharpened pencil notes. It's a different beast from the classic Pavie style, with a more focused, straight mouthfeel, building yet beautiful tannins, and a layered, seamless texture on the palate. It might miss a touch of the classic Pavie sexiness, but it's incredibly impressive, balanced, and remarkably long. Hitting 14.34% alcohol with a pH of 3.58, this Saint-Émilion was harvested between September 15th and 26th.
Showing one of the deepest colors of the vintage, the perfume kicks off with black raspberries, mint leaves, black cherries, flowers, tobacco wrappers, licorice, spice, and espresso aromas. The palate is intensely concentrated, yet, there is so much lift, and energy, the wine feels almost relaxed on your palate. The waves of rich, dense, opulent, lush, and salty, mineral-infused berries start off strong, and keep on going. The mid-palate, and finish delivers its message of ripe, deep, black, with red fruits, spice, crushed stones, camphor, licorice, and dark chocolate without hesitation through to its endnotes that get close to the 60-second mark. The wine blends 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, making this the highest percentage of Cabernet ever used in the blend. 14.3% ABV. 3.58 pH. Harvesting took place September 15 - September 26. Yields were 21 hectoliters per hectare.
The 2025 Pavie is a total stunner. What a wine. Rich and dazzling in its intensity, the 2025 hits all the right notes. Inky dark red/purplish fruit, exotic spice, mocha, espresso and pomegranate literally stain the palate. The 2025 is going to require the better part of a decade to unwind, but it has a ton of potential and a very bright future. This is the first time Cabernet Franc is the dominant variety in the Grand Vin. The 2025 has plenty of the textural intensity readers have come to expect, but with less of the heavy extraction that marked the earlier years.
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.