Pavie 2018

The wine in this vintage

A humid spring with heavy mildew pressure, followed by a hot, sunny and dry summer: 2018 gave Bordeaux rich, concentrated and powerful wines, yet at their best also surprisingly fresh. Pavie 2018 is among them: blackberry, cassis, plum, black cherry, cocoa, liquorice and spice on the nose; a broad, dense palate with abundant yet fine-grained tannins and an attractive mineral drive on the finish. Robert Parker awarded it 99 points and Wine Spectator 98. A wine of great structure, still young, it can be cellared for a long time and will benefit from several years of ageing.

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

• 99 Robert Parker
• 98 Wine Spectator
• 17/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Château Pavie

Region

Bordeaux

Country

Francia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2018

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

98.5/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0120118