Pavie Alienor Collection Case 2018 (11.25L)

100 JD / 99 WA / 99 JS / 98 WS / 97 VM

#29 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2021

2018 is the third edition of this collection which will be released annually 5 years after each vintage. Limited to 100 numbered cases, the collection includes 4 formats of 2018 Pavie:

1 bottle (750ml) + 1 magnum (1.5L) + 1 double magnum (3L) + 1 imperial (6L)

“The Alienor Collection”, name of this special offering, has been chosen to put forward the unique shape of the Pavie bottles. Since the vintage 2000, Château Pavie has been offered in a special bottle, named Aliénor ”. With its characteristic “ Saint Émilion ” shoulder, trunk like base and very deep punt with a small “push out inside the punt” designed to help the sommelier serve from it, the range boasts all the distinctive marks of vintage bottles and is optimum for a perfect ageing. In 2012, to celebrate the move to becoming Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé ‘A ’, the magnum becomes available with this Aliénor ” shape. Since the vintage 2016, Château Pavie is now able to offer this special bottle shape up to the imperial size, equivalent to 6L. Today these are the four formats, bottle (75cl), magnum (1,5L), double magnum (3L) and imperial (6L) proposed in this very special limited editio n wooden case. The name, is also referring to the famous medieval queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (queen of France and then England), who married king Louis VII in the Bordeaux Cathedral Saint André and mother of Richard Coeur de Lion." - Chateau Pavie

100 JD / 99 WA / 99 JS / 98 WS / 97 VM

#29 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2021

One of the wines of the vintage is the 2018 Château Pavie, and Gérard Perse continues to produce one of the greatest wines in the world, in just about every vintage. Based on 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 shows the slightly more restrained style of the estate today yet still brings classic Pavie richness, depth, and grandeur. Revealing a deep purple color as well as a sensational bouquet of crème de cassis, damp earth, tobacco, chalk, and lead pencil shavings, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, incredible purity, a dense, concentrated mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality on the blockbuster finish. There's a backward, inward style here that actually reminds me of the 2000. This is another magical, probably immortal wine from this terroir that marries power with elegance perfectly. Don't miss it!-Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Pavie is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has a 3.58 pH and 14.48% alcohol. Very deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with a fabulously expressive nose of crème de cassis, baked plums and blueberry preserves, leading to an impressive array of nuances, featuring notions of dark chocolate, camphor, licorice, rose petals and fertile loam, plus hints of crushed rocks and iron ore. The rich, full-bodied palate offers layer upon layer of opulent black and blue fruits with loads of exotic spice sparks and pretty floral and mineral accents, supported by firm, super plush tannins and remarkable tension, finishing with epic length and depth. This could only be Pavie. It makes for a seductively stylish glass now, but patience will be rewarded if it is afforded 5-7 years in bottle, at least, then drink it over the next 30+ years.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

Impressive aromas of pure, crushed blackberries and brambleberries with red and black licorice and black olives, as well as incense, following through to a full body with round, creamy tannins and lots of fruit. Yet, it’s tight and reserved at the finish. Needs three or four years to open and start showing its true character. Powerful and linear. Cellar-bound. Try after 2026. - James Suckling

This is packed with raspberry, plum and boysenberry compote flavors that sail through thanks to the unencumbered feel provided by the polished structure. Fine chalky threads curl throughout as this opens in the glass, with flamboyant flashes of apple wood, anise and violet emerging through the finish. Youthfully dense, but everything is in proportion. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2025 through 2040. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Pavie is positively striking in 2018. Rich and sumptuous to the core, the 2017 possesses stunning depth and impeccable overall balance. Dark cherry, mocha, plum, spice, new leather and licorice all build as the 2018 shows its allure. Silky, polished tannins round out the finish. This is a stellar showing from the Perse family. The 2018 is absolutely gorgeous.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media