Château Pavie 2019

Wineadvocate

While the 2019 Pavie does display a touch more restraint that the wines produced here a decade ago, it remains one of the most powerful, extracted wines in all of Bordeaux, exhibiting a glass-staining, opaque purple-black color and a rich bouquet of cherries, blackberries and berry fruit liqueur mingled with sweet spices, loamy soil, licorice and rose petals. Full-bodied, powerful and muscular, it's thick and textural, with a layered, multidimensional mid-palate laden with ripe fruit and rich, chewy tannins, concluding with a long, youthfully grippy finish. The evolution of the early Pese-era wines at age 20 leads me to suspect that time will be kind to this 2019, but couldn't this great site—which naturally delivers elevated maturity combined with low pH—be rendered with more charm and sensuality? - WK 04/2022

Vinous

The 2019 Pavie was sent directly from the château to my home in mid-January. Given the freedom to decant, I decided to examine this Saint-Émilion, the only "A" left standing at time of writing, over a 24-hour period. It has a very controlled and focused nose, one that completely contradicts those that still claim that somehow Pavie is overripe or picked too late. This is delineated, clean and precise – dare I say, almost "classic" in style. Those blackberry and incense aromas that I remarked upon from the barrel sample remain in situ, and the floral component is enhanced, suggesting iris rather than violet. The palate is medium-bodied, yet full in the mouth, the tannins lacquering though not overwhelming. The oak is neatly integrated, building very nicely, and the copious black fruit is laced with graphite and tobacco courtesy of the Cabernets, which, lest we forget, constitute half the 2019 blend. I noticed how, after three hours, the tannins become more prominent, toughening up a little, the Cabernets edging out the Merlot and lending more of a Left Bank-like personality. Then, after 24 hours, the wine mellows and becomes plush, putting quite a distance between itself and the more ostentatious Pavie-Decesse. It shuts down a little on the finish, a timely reminder that this Pavie will need plenty of cellaring. But this is going to be an awesome Saint-Émilion. - NM / 02-2022

Suckling

Lots of blackberry and grilled meat with earth and spice. Some smoky undertones, too. Blackcurrants. Complex. Full-bodied with round, juicy tannins, yet they turn extremely fine and very linear and go on for minutes. Great length. A blend of 50% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2027, but already a joy to drink. - JS 01/2022