2021 Château Pavie En Primeur
Released this morning at £1392 per six bottles in bond (down 2.5% on the 2020), the 2021 vintage of Château Pavie is described by Antonio Galloni as "shaping up to be a very special wine. All it needs is time (95-97 points)."
With such emphasis on concentration and power in many top right bank wines from recent vintages, the middle-weight style of 2021 Pavie may deter some buyers, but the critics are very complimentary about the wine, with Neal Martin describing it as "superb" and Jane Anson as "excellent", with the usual "full on Pavie signature". In keeping with the vintage, freshness, saline notes and a general sense of energy shine through in the 2021, so drinkers who (like us) enjoy this style may well prefer it to some of the more concentrated years.
Landing spring 2024.
To order, please e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk.
Producer Profile
Château Pavie, St. Emilion
Château Pavie is a Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) estate in the commune of St. Emilion. The land here has been farmed since Roman times and the estate takes its name from the peach orchards which once stood here ('pavie' is still used as the name for a type of peach; also Latin 'Pavia' from peach). It is one of three estates that share the Pavie name (the others being Pavie Macquin and Pavie-Decesse). The modern estate began in the nineteenth century with various parcels of land later sold and incorporated into Macquin and Decesse.
Pavie has been owned since 1998 by former supermarket chain owner Gerard Perse, who also owns Pavie-Decesse, Bellevue-Mondotte and other estates on the right bank. Extensive replanting and investment have put Pavie back at the top of the estates in the commune. An impressive new chais was built in 2013. The vineyard extends to 37 hectares in unified plots. The heart of the estate is on the famous 'Pavie slope', a south-facing terroir of limestone soils. The grape varieties planted are Merlot (60%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Cabernet Franc (25%).
Perse was for many years an exponent of a very concentrated, dense style of wine at Pavie, but very recent vintages have followed the broader trend in St-Emilion toward a fresher style which is more expressive of the limestone terroir...a move which we welcome.
| RED | 2021 | Château Pavie | 75cl | £1,392 per case of 6 | Château Pavie 2021 / / 75cl £1,392 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"The 2021 Pavie was picked at 33hL/ha from 28 September until 12 October and matured in 75% new oak, the rest one-year. Team Pavie decided to wait to pick the Cabernet until after the rains just prior to harvest. This is clean and precise on the nose, the Cabernet components (48% of the blend) imparting graphite and light cedar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins that frame layered limestone-infused black fruit, quite vibrant and conveying a sense of energy towards the finish. This has the most persistency of Gérard Perse's wines, and whilst I do not hold it up as the greatest Pavie in recent years, it is clearly top of the tree among his portfolio this year. Superb. 14.14% alcohol. 93-95 points." Vinous (NM)) Apr 2022------"Successful, with concentration and power managing a full extraction without bitter edges. Enjoyable cassis, blackberry, with fresher acidities coming through in mandarin peel and white peach. 75% new oak, full on Pavie signature, with plenty of oak caressing, but overall excellent quality. Harvest September 28 to October 12. No chaptilisation, the powerful south-facing slopes coming in extremely handy in 2021. 94 points." JaneAnson.com (JA)------"Deep black and blue fruit with cocoa and tar character. Compact and full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins that are very textured and interwoven into the wine. This has a lot of structure to go a long way. Yet it remains in balance with finesse. 52% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon. 95-96 points." James Suckling------"The 2021 Pavie is a wine of tremendous potential. Naturally, it shows the more mid-weight style of the year and yet there is plenty of depth as well as energy that starts to emerge with a bit of time in the glass. Bright saline notes shape the wine while extending the finish and adding so much drive. The 2021 is shaping up to be a very special wine. All it needs is time. 95-97 points." Vinous.com (AG) |
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