CHÂTEAU PAVIE

The 2014 Pavie has an intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry and light mint aromas, very well defined although you would never describe it as extravagant - more a little "showy". The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin, not as refined as I expect and I discerned a little bitterness at the front end. Yet it has a gorgeous spicy core of fruit and all it needs is a little more precision and length. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. Drinking range: 2019 - 2035 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)

The 2014 Pavie is magnificent. Silky and finessed to the core, the 2014 Pavie captures the essence of this site, but with more restraint and silkiness than is often the case and less overt oak influence. Raspberry jam, wild flowers, mint and new leather are all finely-knit, but it is the wine's perfume, aromatic nuance and overall balance that elevate it in 2014. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2014 spent 36 days on the skins, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel. New oak is 80%. Rating: 93 - 96+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

The Château Pavie 2014 is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon picked between 3 and 10 October, a lower percentage of Merlot as the vineyard moves towards more Cabernet in the blend. Matured in 80% new oak and 20% one-year old, it has an opulent and delineated bouquet that is heads above the Bellevue-Mondotte. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, the Cabernet in sync with the Merlot, silky smooth in the mouth with a plush but not cloying finish. The mineralité shows through nicely, partly because of that higher percentage of Cabernet. This is a different style of Pavie compared to previous vintages and the team were clear in their emphasis on more Cabernet and less oak. The result is a Pavie that really exploits its propitious terroir and a wine that even compared to Gérard Perse's other 2014s, demonstrates more complex, more class and classicism. This is one of the standout wines in Saint Emilion. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)