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Pavie 2006

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

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Label

Tasting Notes

Another sleeper of the vintage from Perse, this wine shows lots of licorice, underbrush, blackcurrants and black cherries, cedary wood spice, a round, expansive, full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful texture and again, stunning purity, all while remaining relatively youthful. This wine probably won’t hit its prime for at least another 4-6 years and is certainly capable of lasting a quarter of a century afterward.


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.

95
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (#220), August 2015

The 2006 Château Pavie has a rich, generous, almost opaque bouquet with raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry, vanilla and melted tar, very well-defined and focused - perhaps more so than the 2006 Angelus? The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, a keen line of acidity, very harmonious in the mouth with black cherries, wild strawberry, citrus fruit, a touch of tar and tobacco developing towards the finish. It leans towards Cheval Blanc in style, but whatever its semblances, it remains a very well-crafted Saint Emilion with a long future ahead.

95
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2016

Very pretty and precise on the nose, with vanilla, blackberry and floral aromas. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and a racy finish. A bit lean, but solid and well-structured. Best after 2012.

92
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, May 2009

Deep garnet with a touch of brick, the 2006 Pavie storms out of the glass with powerful scents of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and licorice leading to hints of tar, unsmoked cigars, and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers youthful black fruits and earthy/minerally accents with firm, fine-grained tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with a chalky lift.

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2023

Blackish crimson. 13.8%. Lacks a bit of freshness on the nose - rather cooked, like molasses syrup. I’m sorry but I’m afraid I just don’t like this cooked character. Then the greenness of the tannins hits. Promise it’s not an idée fixe! If only that wine tasted blind that turned out to Angélus had been Pavie... But very green finish. I find a hole 2/3 the way along the palate at the moment. Opulent nose but then it just cuts off. Very tough at the moment - dry, mineral, almost volcanic notes. Like sucking lava.... So dry on the finish. Certainly one of the vintage’s most distinctive wines, and much less exaggerated than some of its predecessors. I’m sure it has a long life ahead. Unfortunately it was impossible to taste this wine blind as it was not submitted with other Premiers Grands Crus Classés.

17+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, August 2007

Saturated bright ruby. The fruit-driven aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, violet pastille, espresso, minerals and sexy oak offer superb perfume. Hugely rich and sweet but with outstanding inner-mouth minerality and energy and enticing violet lift. For all its ripeness, there's nothing roasted about this superconcentrated Saint-Emilion; in fact, this wine is quite backward and reserved today. The finish features exceptionally sweet tannins and great palate-saturating length. The bottled wine has turned out to be even better than my barrel tastings suggested. Wow!

95
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, May 2009
Read more tasting notes...

The 2006 Pavie, a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, is cropped low as the viticultural work is impeccable, the winemaking is thoroughly Burgundian in style, and bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration. With over 90 acres in vine, this is one of the larger of the premier grand cru classes in St.-Emilion. A prodigious effort, the 2006 does not have the sucrosite of the 2005, 2003, or 2000, but it would not be embarrassed if tasted side by side with either of those two titans. A dense purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of crushed black currants, licorice, wet stones, and subtle background oak are found in this tannic, dense, masculine-styled 2006. Backward and extraordinarily pure, it is built like a Manhattan skyscraper with exceptional focus, depth, texture, and length. It's all here, but 5-10 years of patience will be warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Since 1998, no other Bordeaux estate except Ausone has had such a superlative record of quality. Pavie's wines are usually among the top half-dozen in every vintage, including such challenging years as 2004, 2003, 2002, and 1999. Proprietor Gerard Perse's flagship vineyard is situated on a gorgeous, south-facing slope possessing three distinct soil types, limestone, clay, and a sand/clay mixture.

96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (181), February 2009

Another brilliant offering from Pavie, the 2006 reveals more sweet fruit and forwardness than the out-of-this-world yet more massive 2005. Low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare, a blend of 70% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, a 37-day maceration, malolactic in barrel, and aging on its lees have resulted in a stunningly rich, dense purple-colored wine displaying a smorgasbord of red and black fruits intermixed with notions of crushed rocks, spring flowers, and subtle wood. Full-bodied, dense, and more fruit-forward than most Pavies, it possesses layers of flavor as well as a stunning finish that lasts for more than a minute. It should serve as a more approachable complement to the enormously endowed, monumental 2005. As he has done in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005, Perse has served up another candidate for the “wine of the vintage.” Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030+.

96/98
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (170), April 2007

This has an ultra-ripe, almost port-like nose with blackberries, macerated cherries and a touch of prune. The palate is almost understated on the entry with surprising restraint and a modicum of poise, very cohesive and smooth. A sumptuous Pavie, perhaps lacking the breeding that I was expecting and I still find the finish unbalanced with excessive tannins in proportion to the fruit concentration. If it was toned down, this would be a marvellous wine, but compared to Angelus, it lacks freshness and poise on the finish. Tasted April 2007.

88/90
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 2007

Full-bodied yet balanced and silky. Solid and rich, but not aggressive. Long and beautiful, with pure fruit. Less muscular than typical Pavie, but seductive. A beauty.

95/100
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2007

Good full medium ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice and minerals on the nose. Suave on entry, then cool and minerally in the middle palate, with brooding black fruit flavors. Today this comes across as less fleshy than the 2007, with the result that the tannins seem a bit tough. But there's plenty of sweet fruit lurking and a very solid spine for aging.

92/94
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar (132), June 2007
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.