Château Pavie deep dive, with Jane Anson and João Pires
As part of the Wynn Signature Chinese wine awards 2025 there was a series of seminars, and this was was focusing on Château Pavie with Jane Anson and João Pires.
Jane Anson began this seminar saying that Château Pavie, in Saint-Émilion, is a property that she’s often found difficult to understand. Why? It’s a wine where the site is so strong that the key thing is to control this: she says that it’s a brilliant example of terroir.
It is also a fascinating estate because it tells the story of the recent history of Bordeaux. There have been vines planted on the slopes of Pavie for almost 2000 years. The Romans liked the right bank, they liked slopes, and they liked limestone, so there’s a good chance they planted where Pavie is now.
‘At times I have struggled with the power of this estate, and I’ve loved getting to know it,’ says Jane. To understand it, she says, you need to taste an older wine where the limestone fingerprint finds its way out.
João set the scene. He’s a sommelier in charge of the Asia-Pacific market for Pavie.
The Perse family own Pavie, as well as Monbousquet and Lunelles. Gerard Perse arrived in Bordeaux as an outsider: he’d made his money in supermarkets, and his first estate was Monbousquet, which he bought in 1993. He was a huge fan of older wines and he felt that the right bank wines were no longer made in an ageworthy style. This is hard to do with Monbousquet which is on lighter terroir. So when he got hold of Pavie, he really began experimenting to make wines that could age for decades, because these limestone slopes allowed this.
Originally, Gerard came from a poor background. Now he has the wine domaines, a 2 Michelin star restaurant and a five star hotel. He also has a property in Provence for making olive oil, and he makes honey, too.
From 2022, Bellevue Mondotte and Pavie-Decesse, two other properties he owned, were integrated into Pavie (bought in 1998). As opposed to the left bank where the Château is classified and they can append newly purchased land to their vineyard holding (as long as it is the same appellation), it is the land that is classified in Saint-Émilion. Perse managed to convince the commission that these three properties could all be joined and still keep their classification, which isn’t an easy thing to do. For example, Domaines Clarence Dillon (who own Haut-Brion) merged two estates in Saint-Émilion to form Quintus and this new estate lost the classification that the two merged estates had. Both Pavie-Decesse (bought in 1997) and Bellevue Mondotte are also on the same limestone plateau as Pavie, so it sort of makes sense.
Pavie is 42 ha of vines, after the incorporation of the two other domaines. There are three parts – the limestone plateau, the hillside (one of the steepest in Bordeaux) and the foothills (which are more sandy clays). The slope faces south. It’s a naturally powerful site.
Recently there has been a move away from the focus on Merlot towards including more Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. It has gone from 70% Merlot back in the noughties to 52% in 2022, and the Cabernets are increasing (30% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, up from 20 and 10, respectively). 70% of the vineyard is now farmed organically, and the goal is to become 100%. They have been using horses in the vineyards since 2013.
There have been some changes at Pavie over the last 15 years, and these represent a general shift across Bordeaux. There’s been a shift from what’s happening in the cellar to what’s happening in the vineyard, with a move towards organics. There are shorter maceration times, and a softer approach to oak. There’s earlier picking (no extreme ripeness), and a move away from Merlot.
For a long time Pavie was a poster child for pushing ripeness and concentration, with lots of new oak and extended maceration. This isn’t really needed because the vineyard is powerful and doesn’t need the winemaking help.
THE WINES
Arôme de Pavie 2012 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
This is the second wine, made from vines averaging 25 years old on clay/limestone soil. 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, raised in 100% new oak. It’s supple and ripe but has nice freshness with a chalky, mineral underpinning to the nicely structured blackberry and black cherry fruit, finishing with some nice dryness. This is evolving very nicely, and there’s no sense of overripeness, although it is certainly a ripe wine. The oak is well integrated. 94/100
Arôme de Pavie 2017 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
65% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, average age 28 years old, 50% new oak. This is fresh and energetic with a chalky, mineral edge to the sweet berry fruits, with a hint of olive. There’s nice texture here and real concentration of fruit. From a cooler year, this is showing real focus and beauty. It’s still youthful and tannic, there’s some oak in the mix, but it’s beginning to drink well. Really impressive. 95/100
Château Pavie 2022 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
This is immensely concentrated with bold structure and vivid blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, with some chalky underpinnings. It’s primary, intense and grippy with the focus on the fruit. There’s oak here, but it’s well integrated. Just a baby, but there’s a huge potential here. It may be from a very hot vintage, but it’s fresh and energetic. 97/100
Château Pavie 2012 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
This has quite a bit of spicy oak, but also lovely fresh, direct blackberry and cherry fruit, with smoky, woody notes and nice tannins. Firm and structured, but with a core of lovely fruit coming to the fore. Fresh but powerful, and the chalky, mineral notes seem to work well with the oak. Finishes grippy and firm. I think this has a long future ahead of it: right now it’s a bit unresolved. 95/100
Château Pavie 2010 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
80% new oak. 80% new oak. Vines average age 46 years, 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is dense, ripe and bold but also has some significant structure and some spicy oak. The fruit is ripe but well defined with blackcurrant and cherry notes, and there’s some intensity. Powerful and still youthful, with firm tannins and more of this chalky minerality that seems to define this site. Where will this go? I think it has a long future ahead of it, and you really don’t want to open this now unless you are pairing it with strongly flavoured red meats. 97/100
Château Pavie 2000 Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France
100% new oak, 70% Merlot. Supple and now mature, showing fine herbs, a hint of earthiness, cherries, black tea and a hint of stewed strawberry, as well as cherries and notes of iodine and blood. This has evolved into a lovely mellow maturity: I wouldn’t age this any longer, but it has such drinkability and warm complexity now. 95/100
