Château Pavie 2025

Intensely fragrant nose, full of black fruit, chocolate, perfumed violets and cassis. Heady and concentrated. Ripe and fleshy fruit on the palate, the tannins have a really chewy aspect that fills the mouth with texture and grip but with a vein of cooling acidity through the middle. Ends soft and cool, with a long minty, liquorice core. Chewy, fleshy, but cool, I quite like the upfront nature, it’s filling and wide but not overly intrusive or dry. Cool blue fruits and a long slightly chalky powdery finish. All the makings of a great Pavie and feels hands off for what It could have been. 3.58pH. A yield of 21hl/ha.

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. Drink from 2030-2065. 97-99 Pts

Fragrant apple blossom, iris and violet flowers on the nose, brings its A-game from the first moments; coupling bright greengage plums, rose stems, and an intense grip of slate, with creamier blackberries, damson and creme patissiere. A ton of grip and length, this is in it for the long game, with pulses of oyster shell minerality to close things out. Brilliant. Here they did 8 weeks maceration, longer than most, but they felt that the wines needed a little longer to fill out through the mid palate, and for sure this is showing exceptional expansion and tension. Harvest September 15 to 29, first time in the Perse era that this has been entirely in September - and the final vintage under Gerard Perse. Pavie Decesse and Bellevue Mondot are now included in the main wine, bringing their limestone soils to the blend, and this is the highest amount of Cabernet to date. 21hl/ha yield, 3.58ph.

With 60% Cabernet Franc, Pavie 2025 sets a new estate record for the proportion of this grape variety in the grand vin. The bouquet highlights this with an almost improbable freshness, complemented by notes of black berries and a subtle hint of toast. The creamy, slightly saline attack underscores the wine’s breadth and energy. It unfolds seamlessly, with no rough edges and no hollow spots. The mid-palate is driven by structure and the vigor of the tannins, ideally balanced by a racy acidity that brings temperament and freshness. A commanding wine, as impressive for its harmony as for its freshness and power. It clearly has exceptional ageing potential, but those who choose to enjoy it young will be delighted as well!