CHATEAU PAVIE
In 1998, Gerard Perse acquired Château Pavie. Major investments began in the Château in order to give its reputation back. Michel Rolland acted as consulting oenologist and the architect Alberto Pinto redesigned the estate. In 2012, the excellence of Château Pavie became well-known thanks to its promotion and “A” classification as Premier Grand Cru in the Saint-Emilion appellation. More information
Découvrez nos millésimes CHATEAU PAVIE
Château Pavie
The history of the Grand Chateau Pavie
Château Pavie is one of Bordeaux's most iconic vineyards. Château takes its name from the’ancient cultivation of pêche whose variété... More information
Découvrez nos millésimes CHATEAU PAVIE
Château Pavie
The history of the Grand Chateau Pavie
Château Pavie is one of Bordeaux's most iconic vineyards. Château takes its name from the’ancient cultivation of pêche whose variété is called Pavie. It is locatedé in the région of Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of the Dordogne. This winery, classifiedé Premier Grand Cru Classé "A" since 2012, is réputé to produce some of the world's finest wines. Notably, it has been awarded the perfect score of 100 / 100 by critic Robert Parker several times.
The’history of Pavie began in the 19th centuryèunder the management of wine merchant Ferdinand Bouffard, who increased the size of the estate and designed its shape. The estate then consistedé of several propertiesétés which were operatedés indépendently until’à the death of Ferdinand Bouffard. His successor unified the propriétés and produced wine under the single name of Château Pavie.
In 1943, the estate was boughté by Alexandre Valette and promotedèto Premier Grand Cru Classé B when the Saint-Emilion Classification was createdéin 1955.
In 1998, Gérard Perse acquired Château Pavie. Substantial investments were then’undertaken to restore the estate to its former glory. Michel Rolland takes on the role of œconsulting winemaker.
In 2012, the’excellence of Château Pavie was recognized with the promotion of Château to « Premier Grand Cru Classé A » in the’Saint-Émilion appellation. The 2022 Saint-Emilion classification renews the suprême status of Château Pavie. The door to the main buildingâbears the fièrement engravedé in marble with the words in capital letters « Premier Grand Cru Classé A ».
A building of unacceptable architecture
The’architecture of the Château Pavie leaves no one indifferenté: the bâtisse is imposing, sumptuous and spacious. Visitors are greeted by a bull sculpture painted bright red. L’entrée est élégamment décorée d’oeuvres d’arts, some of which have crossedé several seas. The interior’designéis neaté, bright and modern. The estate boastsèa grandiose reception rooméof over 600 square metersèéoverlooking a beautifulégardenè. This room is éalso equippedéwith large bay windowséoffering breathtaking views à over the château vineyards, Saint-Emilion and the surrounding hills. In 2013, the winery was renovatedénovéby the’architect Alberto Pinto.
Gérard Perse, the story of a great man
Monsieur Gérard Perse, borné in 1949, lefté l’école très tôt à 15 years old. At 20, he boughtèa picerie éand 5 years later a supermarketé. He sold his chainîof 6 super and hyper marketsé in the Paris suburbs in 1998 to buy’the first grand cru classé B Château Pavie.
He wasérelatively late in covering up his passion for grands crus, à 26 years old, and it été an intense émotion like that of’love at first sight.
Since the’acquisition of the cru, Gérard Perse has imposedé a turning point in the style of Pavia: a wine that iséresolutely modern, veryèconcentratedé and extracted, made from extremelyêlow yields of grapes that have reached great maturityé.
The Perse family has been multiplying its winegrowing investments since the 90s. Château Pavie and two wine estates are part of the prestigious Perse Latitude galaxy: Clos Lunelles in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux, and Château Monbousquet in Saint-Emilion.
In addition to La Table de Pavie, a 2-star Michelin restaurant run by Yannick Alléno, in 2017 the Perse family decided to acquire l’envers du décor, a Saint-Emilion bistro. They also own La Clusière, an olive oil-producing estate in the Alpilles region. The Pavie chateau produces honey not far from the property, and offers a Relais & Château hotel.
A terroir of 3 geological nuances
Château Pavie enjoys an optimal southern exposure, guaranteeing ideal sunshine throughout the season. This exposure enables the grapes to reach perfect ripeness, a decisive factor in obtaining rich, concentrated wines.
The geographical characteristics of Château Pavie are quite unique, and can be divided into three main areas: the plateau, the hillside and the foot of the hillside. Two-thirds of the vineyard is located on the Saint-Emilion limestone plateau, at an altitude of 85 m above sea level, where the soil is composed of an upper layer of clay-limestone over limestone. La côte Pavie is situated 55 meters above sea level and is composed of a fine-textured, essentially brown clay-limestone soil. And the foot of the hill is essentially sandy: sandy, sandy-clay and sandy-gravel soils.
The expertise behind the great wine of Chateau Pavie
The technical team in charge of viticulture ensures that yields are high quality and lower (around 30 - 35 hl / ha) than the Bordeaux average (50 - 55 hl / ha) to produce a structured, concentrated style of wine that will keep for a very long time. For old vines, pruning retains 8 buds, while for young vines, pruning is limited to 6 buds. Depending on the weather and the needs of each plot in the Château Pavie vineyard, green harvesting and leaf thinning are adapted. The grapes are hand-picked and sorted.
Since 1998, Baptiste Pion, oenologist and cellar master trained at the Faculté déoenologie de Bordeaux, has overseen vinification with the Château teams. He is also assisted by consultant oenologist Bruno Lacoste. Vinification takes place in thermo-regulated wooden vats, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrels. The wine is leavened in 75% new barrels and the remainder in one-wine barrels. Wine blending takes several thousand years.
The greatest millennia of the Chateau Pavie
« It has an inky, opaque color, with plum and violet highlights, and an incredibly rich nose of blackberries, wild berries, melons, liquorice and incense, as well as hints of toast and graphite. Extremely concentrated and powerful, with a multidimensional texture on the palate, this deep Pavie is still in its adolescence. 100 / 100 Robert Parker
The vintage of Chateau Pavie 2005 is available on request.
Château Pavie 2005
«Gérard Perse reckons this is the greatest Pavie he's made to date, although I'd certainly argue that the list also includes the 2000, as well as the 2009 and 2010, among his superstars. This wine, which I tasted in the Wine Advocate's 2005 horizontal report, as well as in a mini-vertical with Perse at Maison Boulud restaurant in Montr?al, seems to be a wine for 75 to 100 years. Dense, opaque purple to the rim, with a beautifully promising nose of blackberries, cassis, graphite and cedar that's just beginning to merge, it tastes more like a three-year-old wine than a ten-year-old. This beauty is intense and full-bodied, with magnificent concentration, a majestic mouthfeel and totally seamless integration of tannins, wood, alcohol and more. Rich, full and multidimensional, this is a winemaking tour de force and certainly one of the twelve best Bordeauxs of 2005. Forget about it for another 3 to 5 years and enjoy it over the next 50 to 100 years! 100/100 Robert Parker
« Deep garnet in color, the Pavie 2009 unfolds with intensity and elegance from the glass, revealing aromas of cooked plums, spiced ginger, sandalwood and blueberry tart; teau aux épices, sandalwood, forêt-noire and blueberry tart, followed by a fragrant undertone of potpourri, unsmoked cigars and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, rich and sumptuous, it offers pure seduction on the palate, with a taut yet velvety texture and remarkable freshness framing the opulent fruit. The finish is very long, impregnated with mineral notes. Lisa Perotti-Brown 100 / 100
The vintage of Chateau Pavie 2010 is available on request.
Château Pavie 2010
« Deep garnet-red in color, Pavie 2010 reveals bewitching suggestions of candied violets, aniseed and tapenade on a core of prunes, blueberry compote, morello cherries and fruitcake, with hints of undergrowth and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, rich and exotically opulent, the palate has a solid texture of velvety tannins and a bold freshness that sustains the rich profile of black and blue berry jams, ending with a long, fragrant finish. Lisa Perotti-Brown 100 / 100
« Spectacular aromas of crushed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries. Fresh flowers with hints of sandalwood. Exotic. A palate saturated with so much fruit, yet agile and energetic. Great length and texture. Fills the mouth. Needs time, but is a classic. The twin brother of the perfect 2015 vintage. James Suckling 100 / 100
Château Pavie 2022 is a historic vintage for the Perse family. 2022 marks the family's 25th harvest and the 10th anniversary since promotion to Premier Grand Cru Class; A Class. In addition, the 2022 vintage has been very successful, with a long and beautiful ageing period. The grapes are concentrated, small and well-balanced. The packaging of the Pavie 2022 bottle marks this occasion: an exclusive bottle in noble colors of black and gold, with an engraving.
" Rich and expressive on the nose, clearly concentrated, with opulent aromas but also plenty of floral character - roses, irises and violets with bitter orange zest, chocolate and flint. Smooth and supple, full and round, it has depth but also real tension, offering a balance between density and direction. The tannins are fine and have both bite and flesh - the generous Merlot and the more structured Cabernet are still fighting for dominance. Stratified and multifaceted, with juice and balanced acidity. Seems well-made, deep with both freshness and power. Refined, but not totally elegant, with weight, strength and muscle. Full of character and style. pH 3.67. Acidity 3.71. Yield 31hl/ha. The 25th anniversary of Gérard Perse à Pavie, and the 10th anniversary as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A domaine. 2022 is the first year to incorporate Pavie-Decesse and Bellevue-Mondotte into the blend. Harvest from September 19th to October 1st - same dates as 2020. » - Decanter
