Farr Vintners Logo

Pavie 1999

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

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Pavie

Label

Tasting Notes

This wine has a very youthful color and seems to be close to full maturity, without the density of the 1998, or its successor, the perfect 2000. It has abundant foresty notes, plenty of spice box, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, some background toasty oak, medium to full body and sweet tannin. A very delicious wine, it offers a complex and fragrant style. It should be drunk over the next 12-15 years

Pavie is widely acclaimed as one of Bordeaux’s greatest terroirs, of largely limestone and clay soils. Brilliantly situated with a sunny, southern exposure and exceptional drainage, Pavie potentially rivals nearby Ausone, the oldest and possibly the most famous estate in Bordeaux. Pavie’s other nearby neighbors include, Pavie-Macquin and Troplong-Mondot to the north, Larcis-Ducasse to the southeast and La Gaffelière and Saint-Georges Côte Pavie to the west.
Until 1978, previous owners rarely produced great wine, but of course that all changed with the acquisition of the 92-acre, single vineyard by Chantal and Gérard Perse. In short, they dramatically raised the quality. Currently, the vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but the actual blend for each vintage tends to possess slightly higher amounts of Merlot. A perfectionist, owner Gérard Perse is flexible with the percentage of new oak, as well as how long the wine is aged in cask. Great vintages can get 100% new oak and spend up to 32 months in barrel. Lesser years are bottled after 18 months and see at least 30% less new oak.
There is no fining or filtration. The resulting wine has been considered one of the superstars of Bordeaux since 1978.

92
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (#220), August 2015

Yummy red. Attractive aromas of plums, berries, tobacco and smoke. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a long juicy finish. Best after 2005. 1665 cases made.

James Suckling, Wine Spectator (31/3/2), March 2002

The 1999 Pavie is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. It springs out with spritely notes of redcurrant jelly, Morello cherries, and blackberry preserves giving way to suggestions of red roses, tobacco leaf, and pencil lead with a touch of tapenade. The medium-bodied palate has bags of energy, with a fine-grained texture and lively line to lift the long, mineral-laced finish.

93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2023
Read more tasting notes...
95
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003
95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (140), April 2002
93/96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (134), April 2001

Produced from 50 year old vines, elevaged in 100% new oak by Gérard Perse. This perfectly situated vineyard in the heart of Saint Emilion has produced incredibly low yields of only 20 hl/ha. The wine has a sexy nose and is sweet and vanilla-flavoured. Rich and opulent on the palate. An impressive follow up to the monster 1998. Extraordinarily concentrated, with a thick unctuously textured mid-section and a fabulous 45+ second finish.

92/96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (128), April 2000
92
James Suckling, Wine Spectator (Mar 2002), March 2002
90/94
James Suckling, Wine Spectator
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.