2016 Château Pavie, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Château Pavie occupies some of the best terroir in all of Bordeaux. The vineyards sweep the steep slope onto the plateau that rises high to your right as you enter St Emilion town from the southern plain. Bought in 1998 by Gérard Perse, he gave the property as high a level of attention and passion as he did to amassing a fortune from supermarkets. The wines entered a controversial period when, under the guidance of Michel Rolland, yields were slashed, and the wines became super concentrated and intense. This achieved 100-point scores from Robert Parker and the coveted “Premier Grand Cru Classé (A)” grade but at the possible expense of the property’s magnificent terroir.

The 2016 vintage has seen a marked shift back to making a less extracted wine that will be aged in less punishingly new oak. The proportion of Merlot has been reduced, and the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon have been raised. The 2016 itself is inky deep in colour and slow to come through on the palate, although the expressions eventually work their way through, revealing plum fruits, enticing notes of spice and gentle hints of leather. The close is dense and tannic, yet the fruit persists and is accessible, promising a wine more amenable to some of the supercharged wines of Perse’s earlier years. It will be drinking that bit sooner, undoubtedly giving more of the vineyard itself.

Drink 2024 - 2040

Berry Bros. & Rudd