Chateau Pavie

Pavie is derived from the word pavies, which refers to the deeply colored peaches that once grew on the site. The estate once belonged to four separate owners, with the Talleman family having the most significant portion and producing the greatest quantity of wine. It was followed by the Pigasse family who also owned Larcis, and two other gentlemen called Lafleur and Chapuis.

The Pigasse portion contracted as the years passed, and with the death of Adolphe Pigasse in 1868, his widow sold off a number of the plots. On the other hand, during the same period, the Fayard-Talleman family had expanded the properties and came to own the majority of the estate.

But the current estate really came about when Ferdinand Bouffard arrived, acquiring not just the Fayard-Talleman vineyard but also the small area still under Pigasse as well as other plots from local families. These were managed separately, with the Pigasse portion becoming the today Pavie-Decesse, and the portion from Chapuis becoming today’s Pavie-Macquin.

Ferdinand invested wisely to eradicate unsuitable varieties, refurbish the cellar and fight against phylloxera. He later sold the estate to Albert Porte in 1918, and was subsequently sold again to Alexandre Valette, who also owned Troplong-Mondot, in 1943.

With his death, the vineyard at Troplong-Mondat was passed to his grandson Claude, and then the next generation Christine, with Alexandre’s other grandson Jean-Paul taking over Pavie. There are certain critics who rated the wines of the Valette era very highly, whereas others like Robert Parker who did not think so.

The modern history of Pavie is associated with Gerard Perse, a supermarket magnate, who acquired Monbousquet in 1993, Pavie-Decesse in 1997, and then in 1998 Pavie itself. Perse began the construction of a new cellar, with new wooden fermentation vats having temperature control, to replace the concrete vats. A radical restoration of the chateau also was carried out, with extensive uprooting of vines and replanting.

The vineyards now cover 37 ha, located to the southeast of St-Emilion, with limestone at the top, clay and limestone on the slope, and alluvial gravel sandy soils at the bottom. The vines average over 40 years, with 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Future plantings will focus on the Cabernets instead of Merlot.

In 2001 Pavie absorbed vines from the neighboring La Clusiere (2.5 ha) as well as 9 ha from Pavie-Decesse, in the process also declassifying 6 ha on the lower slopes to bolster quality. The vines are trained high to improve exposure of the fruit, with leaf thinning and green harvesting.

Manually harvested, the yield is low at 30 hl/ha, with sorting before transporting to the top of vat-room by conveyor. The vines are fermented plot by plot in temperature-controlled oak vats with a short maceration, before malolactic fermentation for up to 24 months in nearly 100% new oak.

The wines will undergo batonnage, the stirring of lees to enrich the wines, and this was not commonly practice in Bordeaux. The grand vin Chateau Pavie is normally bottled without fining or filtration, with about 8000 cases per year.

 

I have recently tasted the 2002 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance
Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose
Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry, blackcurrant and cherries, sweet spice of cloves, oak notes of cedar, kernel notes of dark coffee, maturity notes of truffle and wet leaves, mineral notes of earth. The wine is developing.

Palate
Dry, it has medium acidity and medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture. The alcohol level is medium (+), with a medium (+) body, showing medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of tobacco, sweet spice of cloves, kernel notes of chocolate. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion
Very good quality St-Emilion with good intensity on the nose, showing a wide range of complex aromas, the wine is robust with good structure, yet still having the finesse and elegance, with a palate showing smooth tannin. The flavors are similarly interesting with also good concentration, with the main critics being the alcohol level is a bit too warming. Finishing with a good length, the wine is ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.