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Pavie 2012

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon

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Label

Tasting Notes

The 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Class A St.-Emilion by sporting a new black label with gold print. Fortunately, every Pavie has benefitted since Perse began a complete makeover of this estate in 1998. From 47-year-old vines, the 2012 has an inky purple color, judicious toasty oak in the nose interwoven with copious blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich and moderately tannic, it will require 5-7 years of bottle age but should drink well for 20-30 years. Kudos to Chantal and Gerard Perse for their extraordinary commitment to quality, which is so evident in this more challenging vintage than some of the great years like 2009 and 2010. Very low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare were obtained from this 92-acre estate.

95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (218), April 2015

The Grand Vin is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon cropped at 28hl/ha and harvested by hand. It is being matured in 80% new oak, 20% one year old. It has a more refined, focused, expressive bouquet compared directly with the Bellevue-Mondotte. It is a little broody compared to the 2011 but it is nicely composed. The palate is full-bodied with linear, supple tannins. It is a compact Pavie, not as generous and precocious as top vintages for sure, but showing impressive precision on the finish. My only complaint is that the persistency needs to be longer in the mouth. Tasted April 2013.

91/93
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2013

This shows incredible depth and density for the vintage with dark berry, dark chocolate, spice and chalk character. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a long and powerful finish. Needs five or six years to soften. Try in 2020.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2015

Deep garnet in color, the 2012 Pavie prances out of the glass with showy notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and juicy black plums plus touches of lavender, pencil lead, and rose oil. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, with soft, satiny tannins and bags of bright red and black fruits, finishing with a lingering floral lift. This was the first vintage as a 1er GCC A, with a special black and silver label, and the first vintage with 25% Cabernet Franc.

96
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2023

Pavie is a wine that it really isn't worth approaching before the 10 year window - not just because under its then-regime, everything was turned up to the max, but because this is a powerful terroir that delivers muscular wines. It's beginning to relax, if displaying waves of gunsmoke and rubber reduction aromatics at first. Once it unwinds in the glass, you get grilled sandalwood and cloves alongside liqourice bud, black cherry, raspberry and cassis fruits. The limestone influence with its mouthwatering salinity and saffron is kicking in and this has character and tension. First vintage as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B, following the promotion of that year (and as things stand the only one left). 80% new oak, 28hl/h yield.

94
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, March 2022

Deepest inky purple crimson. Black core. Finely aromatic black fruit. But so concentrated that the aroma is suppressed for now. Tightly packed, dry, fine grained, no hardness even though there's obviously plenty of extraction. Deep, dark and impressive and takes no prisoners. Put it away for some time. Plenty of chewy tannins but they envelop good fruit. Not my style but there is a harmony within that power. There is a minerality but it is expressed more as graphite because of the intensity of the wine and fruit and in the nicely dry tannin texture. Fresh enough but the freshness too is hard to find in the concentration. (JH)

17.5+
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2013
90
Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2013
Read more tasting notes...

The full-bodied, opaque purple-hued 2012 exhibits a beautiful nose of mulberries, black cherries, cedar wood, high quality toasty oak, lead pencil shavings, crushed chalk and floral notes. This complex, authoritative, full-throttle Pavie possesses much more accessibility and precociousness than most vintages. It is another brilliant effort from proprietors Chantal and Gerard Perse. It should be drinkable in 8-10 years and last for three decades.

From 47-year-old vines, Pavie, one of the largest estates in St.-Emilion (92 acres), has once again hit pay dirt with their 2012 Pavie. Yields were 28 hectoliters per hectare (which is slightly above the 26 hectoliters per hectare in 2010), and the harvest was exceptionally late. The tannins may be the sweetest of any young Pavie I have tasted since the 2001 (which the 2012 vaguely resembles).

94/96+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (206), April 2013

Lots of beautiful aromas of roses, dark fruits and dark chocolate. Full and chewy with beautiful firm tannins and that add to the long finish. Very intense. Very fine tannins. Very, very long. 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

94/95
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2013
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.