Château Pavie is one of the leading producers of Saint-Émilion and the 1998 is a superb release that has blossomed with additional time in the bottle. Rich, decadent and mouthfilling, it offers up wonderful notes of black fruits, forest floor, cigar box and cedar. Though in a perfect window for drinking, this should continue to develop over the next decade or so.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 1998 Pavie is deep garnet-brick in color. So much fruit comes charging out of the gate here: profound crème de cassis, baked blackberries and blackberry preserves with notions of beef dripping, crushed rocks, unsmoked cigar, sandalwood and dried lavender. Big, rich and beautifully impactful, it is completely packed with taut, muscular black and blue fruit preserves, maintaining nice firm grainy tannins with layer after layer of exotic spices, meat and earth notions, finishing epically long and minerally.
- Wine Spectator: Lovely, and in a great spot now. The mulled currant, fig and boysenberry fruit is fully into its secondary phase, while the backdrop of singed cedar and alder notes plays a supporting role. Keeps a fresh tobacco accent through the finish, with a lingering graphite echo.
Producer Information
Château Pavie is a critically acclaimed – if sometimes controversial – wine estate in the Saint-Émilion appellation of northeastern Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Dordogne river. Originally named a Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) in the 1955 classification of Saint-Émilion wines, it was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the 2012 iteration. It is known for its Merlot-dominant grand vin.The 37-hectare (91-acre) Pavie estate lies just east of Saint-Émilion town, sitting on the southern edge of the Saint-Émilion plateau. The estate vineyards have a coveted position, enjoying both the limestone bedrock of the plateau and the south-facing slope that both drains excess water and gets excellent exposure to the sun.The site is believed to have been planted with vines since Roman times and, over the centuries, has seen many owners and changes in its boundaries.
