2021 Château Pavie, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Deep purple hue. Poised and fresh with dark-fruit and floral notes. Fresh and minerally on attack but sweet and ripe in the middle, the tannins finely honed. Chalky and long on the finish. Powerful, structured, the terroir evident but everything in balance. Good potential.

The 2021 Pavie was picked at 33hL/ha from 28 September until 12 October and matured in 75% new oak, the rest one-year. Team Pavie decided to wait to pick the Cabernet until after the rains just prior to harvest. This is clean and precise on the nose, the Cabernet components 48% of the blend) imparting graphite and light cedar aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins that frame layered limestone-infused black fruit, quite vibrant and conveying a sense of energy towards the finish. This has the most persistency of Gérard Perse's wines, and whilst I do not hold it up as the greatest Pavie in recent years, it is clearly top of the tree among his portfolio this year. Superb. 14.14% alcohol.

Drink 2026 - 2060

Successful, with concentration and power managing a full extraction without bitter edges. Enjoyable cassis, blackberry, with fresher acidities coming through in mandarin peel and white peach. 75% new oak, full on Pavie signature, with plenty of oak caressing, but overall excellent quality. Harvest September 28 to October 12. No chaptilisation, the powerful south-facing slopes coming in extremely handy in 2021.

Drink 2028 - 2042

Deep black and blue fruit with cocoa and tar character. Compact and full-bodied with firm, ripe tannins that are very textured and interwoven into the wine. This has a lot of structure to go a long way. Yet it remains in balance with finesse. 52% merlot, 30% cabernet franc and 18% cabernet sauvignon.