Pavie - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2015

The Wine Independent

98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe12/13/2023

Opaque garnet in color with a touch of purple, the 2015 Pavie needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock notes of baked plums, blackberry preserves, and spice cake followed by nuances of tree bark, charcoal, and tapenade with a touch of Indian spices. The full-on, full-bodied palate is atomic, exploding in the mouth with black fruit preserves and velvety tannins, kept in check by a racy backbone, finishing with epically long-lasting notes of exotic spices. It needs 5 years to come into its best, then drink over the next 25 years+.

Vinous

95

byNeal Martinthe7/10/2019

The 2015 Pavie has a high-toned, iodine-tinged bouquet with veins of blue fruit complementing the black cherry and boysenberry aromas. This is one of the more opulent, hedonistic 2015s. The glycerin-rich, medium-bodied palate offers succulent ripe tannin, a fine bead of acidity and a voluminous, heady finish. There is a touch of warmth from the alcohol. Though it is tempting in its youth, I would like to see how this will age in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

100

byJeb Dunnuckthe10/15/2018

Pure perfection in a glass and unquestionably one of the great vintages for this cuvée, the 2015 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 80% new French oak. Sharing some similarities with the 2009, this tour de force sports a saturated purple color as well as a sweet bouquet of crème de cassis, crushed rocks, white truffle, and licorice. Its oak is perfectly integrated and balanced by this wine’s massive fruit and structure. Full-bodied, deep, and superbly concentrated, with building tannins, it’s a massive wine by any measure, but what sets it apart is that it still glides across the palate and retains an incredible sense of purity, balance, and elegance. It’s drinking well today due to the vintage’s opulence, yet won’t hit prime time for another 5-10 years and I suspect will keep for upward of 50 years.

Wine Advocate

96

byNeal Martinthe3/2/2018

 The 2015 Pavie has an intense bouquet with layers of blackberry, crème de cassis, melted tar and and light graphite notes, opulent in style although nicely defined. The palate is medium-bodied with silky smooth tannin, a fine line of acidity and interestingly, as this Pavie goes along, it develops more finesse. There are touches of dark chocolate and spices, good depth on the finish with a persistent aftertaste. It will require several years in bottle but there is great potential here. Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2050. 

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe2/27/2018

Heady, exotic and absolutely compelling, the 2015 Pavie is one of the standouts of the vintage. Soaring aromatics meld into a core of super-ripe red plum, cherry jam, rose petal, mint and lavender in this sensual, voluptuous Saint-Émilion. Even with all of its flamboyance, the 2015 possesses remarkable nuance and delineation. This is an overwhelmingly beautiful wine that seduces both the intellectual and hedonistic senses. Don't miss it. Tasted two times.

Wine Advocate

98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/22/2018

In 2015, the blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine was matured 80% in new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Pavie is still sporting a bit of its oak to begin, giving way to a glorious nose of crushed black cherries, blackberries and mulberries plus hints of dried roses, stewed tea, unsmoked cigars and garrigue. The rich, concentrated, full-bodied palate delivers an incredible structure of very firm, very ripe tannins and a racy line of freshness cutting through the dense layers of perfumed black fruits and savory notions, finishing with epic length.

Wine Spectator

98

byJames Molesworththe2/15/2018

This start off richly, featuring beautifully rendered layers of fig, boysenberry and plum pâte de fruit flavors coursing through. The structure is refined and integrated, with a light chalky edge adding tension and vivacity while being absorbed by the fruit. The finish has pyrotechnics of anise, black tea and singed mesquite that are formidably long. Best from 2025 through 2045. 5,833 cases made.  –JM

Jamessuckling.com

100

byJames Sucklingthe2/12/2018

This is really something. Sort of speechless when I taste it. It shows evocative aromas of wet earth, oyster shell, dust, tile, blackberries and blueberries. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a length and intensity that is so, so fine. A wine in perfect harmony. Complete. Hard not not to drink. Energetic and balanced. Better to wait for 10 years. Try in 2028.

Decanter.com

96

byJane Ansonthe1/26/2018

Deep and rich in both colour and taste, this is a monument to the fine wine triumvirate of tannins, fruit and acidity. It's extremely muscular, with layers of black fruits, graphite and pencil shavings, as well as a smoky, tarred edge and the telltale salinity on the finish that places you on the limestone plateau of St-Émilion. There's impressive fruit density and finely-worked tannins, although I found the 2016 Pavie to have better balance - the 2015 is rather one to admire in my eyes, not to love. It should go 30 years easily. 70% new oak.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98-100

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

The 2015 Château Pavie is going to be a candidate for the wine of the vintage, both from the right and left banks, it’s that good. Made from 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, this truly great wine sports an inky purple color and to-die-for notes of crème de cassis, toasted bread, liquid flowers, and a building, gravely, liquid rock-like minerality. Possessing full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannin, and integrated acidity, with perfect ripeness and balance, it will need at least 4-5 years of bottle age to be drinkable but is going to keep for decades. I wrote “Wow” more than once in my notes.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98-100

byJeff Levethe4/30/2016

Opaque in color, this wine is dense, fat, rich and packed with mouth-coating fruits. The wine stains your teeth and palate and leaves you with waves of sweet, luscious, intense, pure black fruits. There is a touch of heat, but there is such a wealth of fruit and the berries are so pure, thick and sweet, it’s barely noticeable. I'd like to be as rich as this wine! For fans of Pavie, this will provide fodder for debates as to which vintage of Pavie is the best. My money is on the 2015, but the owner thinks it is the 2010 –this high-class conundrum will definitely bring about great tastings in the years to come!

Wine Advocate

96-98

byNeal Martinthe4/29/2016

The 2015 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon that is matured in 80% new oak and 20% one-year-old barrels. It has a really quite glorious bouquet that is sensual and very well defined and pure. In my opinion, just dialing down the new oak even by 15% is allowing more personality and more terroir-expression to filter through. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe, lace-like tannins and a fine bead of acidity. It feels caressing and sensual in the mouth with superb mineralité and purity on the vivacious and sustained finish. This is unquestionably the best wine from Gérard Perse in 2015: a great Pavie with a very long life ahead, though I would cellar it for at least a decade to witness it in full flight.

Decanter.com

95

byJames Lawther MWthe4/28/2016

Follows recent vintages with more Cabernet Franc (22%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (18%) in the blend. Fragrant dark fruit and spice notes. Powerful tannic frame but the tannins are really refined. Opulent mid-palate but minerality and tension runs through to a firm, driving finish. Accomplished but needs time. 2025-2045

Vinous

95-98

byAntonio Gallonithe4/27/2016

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2015 Pavie is dense, powerful and seamless. A huge, spherical wine, even for the year, the 2015 exudes depth. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 retains striking freshness and nuance, with plenty of bright red stone fruit and floral notes taking center stage. The super-extracted, oak-driven style that was such a Pavie signature a decade ago seems to be giving way to a more refined approach that showcases fruit, richness and purity. This is a superb showing from Gerard Perse and consulting winemaker Michel Rolland.

Jancis Robinson

17

byJancis Robinsonthe4/26/2016

Rich and silky. Blackish crimson. Massive build. Very sweet - but there is some freshness too. Very round tannins. More fluid and less astringent than many vintages. 17+

timatkin.com

90

byTim Atkin MWthe4/20/2016

Jamessuckling.com

100-100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2016

For me, this redefines Pavie. The depth and intensity and more important, the clarity, is really something. Full and ultra-fine tannins. It shows such great tannins and finesse. It is the essences of Pavie.

Wine Spectator

95-98

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2016

This delivers some serious fruit firepower, with blueberry, blackberry and plum notes that pump along authoritatively, pulling the creamy tannins along with them. Echoes of tobacco and violet emerge through the finish, along with a buried mineral accent. A contender for wine of the vintage on the Right Bank.—J.M.