Chateau Pavie 2012

JEB DUNNUCK: "Bottled under a black label to celebrate Pavie’s addition to the Grand Cru Classé “A” classification, the 2012 Chateau Pavie is a brilliant wine, and readers with bottles in their cellars are in for a treat. From a bottle purchased in the US, this deep purple-hued beauty takes plenty of air (it showed best the day after opening) to show at its best yet offers incredible notes of blackcurrants, blackberries, scorched earth, graphite, leafy herbs, violets, and background oak. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it nevertheless has incredible elegance and purity, with loads of silky tannins, terrific freshness, and a blockbuster finish. I continue to believe 2012 was a great, great vintage for the Right Bank, and this just adds fuel to the fire. This beauty is approachable today yet will mostly likely merit a triple-digit rating in 5-7 years and will keep for 30-40 years, given its impeccable balance and depth of fruit."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "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."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Silky tannins, pure fruits, rocks and stone with licorice and fresh cherries are all over the place. There is richness here, but it is a bit subdued from other, riper, more powerful vintages, which might end up being a very good thing."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."

JAMES SUCKLING: "What a gorgeous wine with violet and sandalwood character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body. Fine tannins. Love it now."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A beauty, with rich and supple plum and blackberry confiture notes that stream along over a dense but velvety structure. The licorice and toast aspect is more restrained here, and there are long, cool menthol, apple wood and earth accents through the finish.—Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Best from 2018 through 2030. 5,830 cases made."

WEINWISSER: "60 % Merlot, 25 % Cabernet Franc, 15 % Cabernet Sauvignon. 28 hl/ha. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Mokka, Cassis, reife Brombeeren, dunkle Edelhölzer und schwarze Oliven, konzen triert, aber nicht unzugänglich, im Untergrund genügend Röstaromen, die einen zusätzlichen Touch von dunklem Brot und Pumpernickel verleihen. Im Gaumen dann die ganz grosse Überraschung! Von der Nase her hätte man sich auf einen Boliden eingestellt, und jetzt ist das Ganze erstaunlich fein, saftig, mit wunderschöner Balance und durchaus noblen Anlagen. Und genau das sucht man ja in einem Premier Grand Cru. Vor allem, wenn als zusätzliche Information noch ein A darauf steht! Trotzdem wird das kein Spaziergang. Auch dieser Pavie wird sich nicht in den ersten zehn Jahren auf ein Genuss-Techtelmechtel einlassen."