Pavie 2012

The wine in this vintage

A complex year in Bordeaux, 2012 alternated a wet spring with a hot, dry summer and a damp end of season; earlier-ripening Merlot gave the best results, making the Right Bank the star of the vintage. Pavie 2012 confirms this with a rich, harmonious wine: plum, blackberry, black cherry, violet, chocolate and sweet spice on the nose; a full, velvety palate with dense yet rounded tannins and good freshness on the finish. Robert Parker and Wine Spectator both rated it 95 points. Despite the appeal of its fruit, the wine still needs time: it is worth waiting a few more years for it to reach its peak.

The producer · Château Pavie

Château Pavie is one of Saint-Émilion's oldest and most prestigious estates, with vines planted since Roman times on the slopes south-east of the medieval town. Its roughly forty hectares run uninterrupted from the limestone plateau down to the foot of the Côte Pavie, across limestone, clay and sandy soils that give the wine power, structure and a fine mineral streak. In 1998 the estate was bought by Gérard Perse, who undertook a thorough renovation of vineyard and cellar, with parcel-by-parcel selection, low yields and a new winery inaugurated in 2013. These efforts were rewarded in 2012 with promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé A, the summit of the Saint-Émilion classification. The blend is led by Merlot, completed by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Initially opulent and concentrated, the style has evolved over the past decade towards greater freshness and precision, while retaining the depth and very long ageing potential that make Pavie one of Bordeaux's great reds.

Critics' scores

• 95 Robert Parker
• 95 Wine Spectator
• 95 Wine Enthusiast
• 17/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Château Pavie

Region

Bordeaux

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2012

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

95/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0120112