2006 | Chateau Pavie | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

The 2006 Château Pavie is a highly acclaimed, dense, and rich Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé (rated 95-97 points by top critics). It is a powerful blend, dominated by Merlot, featuring notes of black fruit, licorice, and coffee with a long, tanic finish. It is known for its intense, modern style and long aging potential.

Producer Information

Château Pavie is a critically acclaimed – if sometimes controversial – wine estate in the Saint-Émilion appellation of northeastern Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Dordogne river. Originally named a Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) in the 1955 classification of Saint-Émilion wines, it was promoted to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the 2012 iteration. It is known for its Merlot-dominant grand vin. The 37-hectare (91-acre) Pavie estate lies just east of Saint-Émilion town, sitting on the southern edge of the Saint-Émilion plateau. The estate vineyards have a coveted position, enjoying both the limestone bedrock of the plateau and the south-facing slope that both drains excess water and gets excellent exposure to the sun. The site is believed to have been planted with vines since Roman times and, over the centuries, has seen many owners and changes in its boundaries. The current property coverage was heavily influenced by the land purchases (and divisions) of Ferdinand Bouffard in the late 19th Century. Bouffard bought a number of vineyards and châteaux, laying the foundations not just for Pavie but several of its neighboring estates, although he continued to manage them as separate entities. By the early 20th Century, Château Pavie had been divided into three, with Pavie Macquin and Pavie Decesse established from land covered by the original Pavie estate. Pavie remains the largest of the three and is one of the larger estates in Saint-Émilion. Château Pavie was named a Premier Grand Cru Classé (B) in the inaugural 1955 classification of Saint-Émilion and for decades as a well-regarded, if sometimes underperforming, estate. French supermarket moghul Gérard Perse bought Pavie in 1998 (having previously bought Château Monbousquet in 1993 and Pavie Decesse in 1997) and, as with his previous vineyard purchases, Perse implemented significant upgrades to the vineyards and winery. Many of the vines were replanted, and Michel Rolland was hired as consultant winemaker. Subsequent Pavie vintages have been markedly different and have created some controversy. The new wines are known for their riper, fuller and more extracted expressions with high alcohol content. Perse's wines were generally well received by American critic Robert Parker, but not so favorably by others. The 2003 release of the wine was notable in that it polarised two of the biggest names in wine at the time, receiving a poor review from UK wine doyenne Jancis Robinson MW while being lauded by Parker. The two would have a brief, public, disagreement over the wine. Nonetheless, winemaking at Pavie had consiberably improved and, with the 2012 review of the Saint-Émillion classification, Château Pavie was elevated to the highest status of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A). Although the decision was not in the hands of Pavie and its owners, the move created more controversy. Traditionally – and for the previous 67 years – only two estates had held the Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) title: Château Cheval Blanc and Château Ausone. While there was little doubt that Pavie and Château Angélus (the other estate to be promoted to Grand Cru Classé A) could produce some of the best wines of the appellation, the move still broke with tradition. Indeed, come 2021, Cheval Blanc and Ausone announced they would leave the classification. Angélus followed suit in 2022 (it's owner, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, had been convicted of "unlawful bias" for his role in the 2012 classification), a move which, should the 2022 classification not promote any estates to Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status, potentially leaves Pavie as, on paper at least, the greatest estate in Saint-Émilion. The Château Pavie vineyards, which lie just two kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Saint-Émilion town, are planted roughly 60 percent to Merlot, 25 percent to Cabernet Franc and 15 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2013 a completely renovated château Pavie building was unveiled, with extensive terrace space and stonework overseen by Parisian-based architect and decorator Alberto Pinto. Along with the eponymous grand vin, Pavie makes a second wine called Arômes de Pavie, renamed from Tour Simard in 2005. This is made from younger vines with an average age of less than 10 years, compared to older vines – some just under 50 years old – for the grand vin. The total production of the estate is roughly 8000 cases annually.

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