Château Pavie - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2008

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 31/05/2011

A remarkable success in this vintage, Pavie’s 92 acre vineyard situated on the limestone soils of the spectacular south-facing Cote Pavie (one of the greatest terroirs of Bordeaux) was cropped at 30 hectoliters per hectare. A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an atypical (for a 2008) alcohol level of 14.5% that is higher than in its 2010 counterpart, the opaque purple-colored 2008 exhibits sweet, smoky barbecue notes intermixed with creme de cassis, black cherry, toast and crushed chalk. Deep, intense and full-bodied with surprisingly civilized tannins for such a young Pavie, it reveals wonderful breadth of flavor, a savory texture and a layered mouthfeel. It should drink beautifully in 2-4 years and keep for 25 or more. Drink 2013-2028

Wine Spectator

93 / 100

par James Molesworth le 15/12/2010

This is lavishly oaked, with dark espresso, mocha and bittersweet cocoa notes proudly leading the way, while the core of fig sauce, melted licorice snap and blackberry confiture waits in the wings. Dense and grippy through the finish, with powerfully rendered fruit matching the dense toast. A huge wine that will need some time. Best from 2013 through 2022. - J.M

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

le 30/06/2009

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fast opaker Kern, violette Reflexe. In der Nase zart vegetal unterlegt dunkle Kirschfrucht, zart nach Grapefruitzesten. Am Gaumen straff, mineralisch, reife, reife Kirschenfrucht, kraftvolle, gut integrierte Tannine, bleibt gut haften, Bitterschokolade im Nachhall, gutes Reifepotenzial.

Guide des vins Gilbert & Gaillard

92-94 / 100

le 28/05/2009

(70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon; 32 hl/ha; 14.5% alcohol; 65% new oak) Deep ruby-purple. Floral nose offers red cherry, plum, cinnamon and cloves beneath a healthy coating of sexy vanillin oak. Austere but not dry on entry, with plenty of lovely red berry, mint and tobacco flavors displaying amazing purity as well as admirable restraint. Though this is a typically tannic Pavie, the tannins are very smooth and the wine seems by far the best balanced of those in the Perse stable (especially compared to Pavie-Decesse, which showed aggressive tannins that overpowered that wine's fruit). A more elegant, less massive and ultimately more enjoyable version of Pavie than some past vintages. For my money, this will be of the better Pavies of recent memory, a wine of real grace and refinement but with a broodingly masculine personality that lurks just beneath the surface.

Wein Wisser

19 / 20

par René Gabriel le 26/05/2009

Trinkreife 2018-2035

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2009

Is the 2008 Pavie superior to the 2005 and 2000? While that is impossible to know at this stage of its development, it will certainly be one of the three greatest Pavies made under the administration of Chantal and Gerard Perse. Cropped at a very low 30 hectoliters per hectare, the final blend is a classic Pavie combination of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The 14.5% natural alcohol is the highest ever achieved at this estate. The inky/blue/purple color is followed by a wine with a concentrated, full-bodied texture, a layered mouthfeel, fresh acids, abundant tannin, and a 50-60-year evolution ahead of it. Compared to the enormous, but backward 2005, the 2008 seems even less evolved at a similar stage. Sweet creme de cassis, black cherry, licorice, and smoky barbecue characteristics combine with a liqueur of minerality that resonates from this terroir that is considered to be among the top dozen or so vineyard sites in Bordeaux. This remarkable offering, from a person who has, thankfully, ignored the petty jealousy and unfair criticism of his administration, is another St.-Emilion for your children’s children. For the fact-mongers, this cuvee was hand-harvested between October 13-21, with the grapes put in small plastic containers. Everything is moved by gravity flow, and there is no fining or filtration following a slightly longer than normal aging (28-30 months) in oak casks. 96-98+

La Revue du Vin de France

18-19 / 20

le 28/04/2009

Issu des vendanges qui se sont achevées le 21 octobre, Pavie, doté d'une matière formidalement concentrée, fera, à n'en pas douter, à nouveau débat. A notre avis, les chanceux qui le dégusteront dans une vingtaine d'années trouveront là un vin d'une grande race et d'une grande profondeur, comme en témoignent aujourd'hui les 1998 ou 2000. Répétons-le, Pavie n'est pas élaboré pour les amateurs pressés. Gérard Perse rapproche son 2008 du 2005, avec un soupçon de raffinement supplémentaire, mais un peu moins de volume. La bouche, encore très serrée, se déploie par paliers et possède une vigueur somptueuse pour le millésime. La fin de bouche est interminable, avec une finale sur le fruit qui s'étire plus d'une minute. Envoûtant!

TAST

18 / 20

le 23/04/2009

Grand style profond : allonge musclée, pleine de sève mais avec également des tanins de grande finesse, d’une incontestable race en finale.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Neal Martin le 22/04/2009

A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, cropped at 32hl/ha and aged in 65% new oak, 35% one-year wooden barrels, the ’08 Pavie has a super-ripe, cassis-driven nose, hoi sin, spice and a touch of sloe. The palate is full-bodied with very fine tannins, lovely caressing texture, good acidity, just a little more refined than say Bellevue-Mondotte. Very pure on the finish although those tannins linger longer afterwards. Excellent – a ravishing Pavie. Tasted April 2009.

Jancis Robinson

17.50 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 16/04/2009

70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 65% new oak this year. Inky with barely a rim. Dark and firm, dry but with more freshness and the tannins a little more melted than in previous vintages. Gerard Perse described as ‘more feminine’ than in the last few years, though I think he must like his women to have worked out! Harvested last week in Oct to 2 Nov. Lovely dark fruit. Roasted but not cooked. Dark and intense but much more. Savoury and concentrated but not the bitterness of some previous vintages. (JH) Drink 2014-28 17,5+

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

par James Lawther MW le 14/04/2009

Another powerful wine from Gérard Perse - not far off the amazing 2005 in quality. Rich, ripe, dark fruit on the nose. Huge weight and density on the palate. Powerful tannic frame with the minerally freshness of the terroir coming through on the finish. Long ageing. Drink 2016-2035.