Château Pavie Decesse - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2007

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe8/30/2010

Good deep ruby. Blackberry, minerals, violet pastille, licorice and pepper on the nose, along with a rocky quality characteristic of this calcaire-rich site. Juicy and very intense but youthfully imploded, with a restrained sweetness and terrific precision and grip to the mineral and crushed cassis flavors. Finishes firmly tannic and very long, with terrific energy. This should evolve slowly. (92(+?) points)

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/2010

Gerard Perse’s tiny vineyard was cropped at 26 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend was 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc (14.5% alcohol). It boasts great intensity, a dense purple color, and beautiful aromas of sweet mulberries, black cherries, cedar, crushed rocks, and white chocolate as well as a chalky character (which gives the wine superb minerality). The wine is expansively flavored, and the tannins are remarkably sweet and well-integrated. An atypical blockbuster for the 2007 vintage, it should drink beautifully for 15-20 years. Drink 2010-2030

Wine Spectator

88 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe3/31/2010

Aromas of black olive and dark fruits lead to a medium body, with coffee and berry flavors, toasty oak, polished tannins and a medium finish. Well-made for the vintage. Best after 2012.

Falstaff

91-93 / 100

the6/30/2008

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fast opaker Kern, violette Reflexe. In der Nase zart floral unterlegte Heidelbeerfrucht, zarte Orangenschalenanklänge, feiner Nougat, sehr attraktives Bukett. Am Gaumen komplexe Textur, saftig und stoffig, feine Gewürznoten, tolle Extraktsüße, hier ist nichts übertrieben, alles am rechten Platz, einfach delikat und frisch.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-92 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe6/30/2008

Bright medium ruby. Lively aromas of kirsch, bitter chocolate, minerals and licorice, lifted by a peppery element. Suave and fine-grained, showing less obvious structure and power than the Bellevue-Mondotte that preceded it but a finer grain. Then broader and longer on the aftertaste, with more minerally lift. The crop level here was 31 hectoliters per hectare, according to owner Gerard Perse, who noted that the average age of vines here is a good 20 years higher than those of Bellevue-Mondotte.

Le Point

14 / 20

byJacques Dupontthe5/15/2008

Grillé, café, bouche ronde, souple, soyeuse, un peu de sucrosité, agréable, finale tendue, avec une pointe d'amertume.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe5/5/2008

TAST

17-17.50 / 20

the4/29/2008

Très intensément construit, avec un volume en bouche impressionnant (et plus encore lorsqu’on le compare au profil classique du millésime), Pavie Decesse s’appuie sur sa structure tannique intense et mûre, apportant au vin une structure très serrée. Incontestable potentiel.

Wine Advocate

92-94 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/28/2008

I often enjoy the nose on Pavie-Decesse more than other wines under Gerard Perse and this is not different. Notes of blackberries, macerated black cherries, a touch of plum and a little violets. The palate is full-bodied but with acidity cutting through those layers of ripe black fruits. Very pure, clams up towards the finish but this has great balance and precision. Tasted April 2008.

Jancis Robinson

16 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/15/2008

90% Merlot; on the plateau above Ch Pavie. Very dark. A bit cheesy and overdone on the nose. Dark and jammy. It’s a fruit cordial rather than a wine. Lots of sweetness. Tough minerals and chew on the end. But it’s certainly serious. Tarry finish without enough juice in the middle – more reminiscent to me of the exaggerations of the Perse house style.