Pavie 2012 (750ML)

98+ JD / 96 WI / 96 JS / 96 WCI / 95 WA / 95 WS / 95 VM / 94-96 WE / 94 JA / 17.5+ JR

No. 9 James Suckling's Top 100 List of 2012 Red Bordeaux

To celebrate the property's promotion to Premier Grand Cru Classé "A" status, the 2012 vintage comes with a special black label.

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.-Jeb Dunnuck

The 2012 Pavie is medium to deep garnet colored. It charges out with flamboyant prunes, Chinese five spice, and sandalwood notes, followed by hints of cast-iron pan, dusty earth, and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, rich, and decadently spicy, the palate delivers velvety tannins and a lively line, finishing with great length. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

This shows incredible depth and density for the vintage with dark berry, dark chocolate, spice and chalk character. Full body, firm and velvety tannins and a long and powerful finish. Needs five or six years to soften. Try in 2020.- James Suckling

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.- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

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. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

The 2012 Pavie has been impressive on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. Exotic scents of graphite, smoke, new leather and dark fruit open up first. Deep, intense and rich, especially within the context of the year, the 2012 finds greater finesse and nuance with time in bottle. Pavie is a rare 2012 that is going to require time in bottle, as the tannins are imposing at this early stage. I imagine the 2012 will be divine in another few years. Even today, it is exceptionally well-balanced and harmonious in the modern-day flamboyant Pavie style. The 2012 is 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon that spend 28 months in barrel. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

94–96. Barrel sample. This is a powerful wine which exhibits a change in style towards elegance in recent years. The palate has delicious Merlot fruitiness along with black-currant acidity and a dense structure. Fine minerality at the end with juicy acidity. — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

Pavie is a wine that it really isn't worth approaching before the 10 year window - not just because under its then-regime, everything was turned up to the max, but because this is a powerful terroir that delivers muscular wines. It's beginning to relax, if displaying waves of gunsmoke and rubber reduction aromatics at first. Once it unwinds in the glass, you get grilled sandalwood and cloves alongside liqourice bud, black cherry, raspberry and cassis fruits. The limestone influence with its mouthwatering salinity and saffron is kicking in and this has character and tension. First vintage as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B, following the promotion of that year (and as things stand the only one left). 80% new oak, 28hl/h yield.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux