Wine Advisor
Pavie Decesse 2010
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Pavie Decesse’s vineyard is currently 8.5 acres (it declined dramatically after part of the vineyard was incorporated into the larger Pavie estate as both are owned by Chantal and Gerard Perse). The vines are planted in decomposed limestone soils and yields in 2010 were only 24 hectoliters per hectare. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that achieved 14.5% natural alcohol (slightly higher than what Pavie reached, no doubt because of the higher percentage of Merlot). Sweet berry fruit, barbecue smoke and toasty oak aromas jump from the glass of this inky/purple-colored 2010. Softer and more restrained than previous vintages, this is a beautiful, full-bodied, opulent, stunningly pure, rich wine that should be drinkable in 5-6 years and last for three decades.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, compared to the Monbousquet, there is just a slight jamminess on the nose that is denuding the Pavie-Decesse of a little freshness. The palate is full-bodied and dense, extraordinarily powerful with masculine, structure tannins and layers of black fruit. Good focus towards the finish, this will need 15 years to reach its drinking plateau. Drink 2022- Tasted March 2011.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(90% merlot with 10% cabernet franc; 26 hectoliters per hectare; 14.5% alcohol) Inky-purple. Very ripe blackcurrant aromas lifted by perfumed notes of sage and bay leaf. Then much lighter and more refined on the palate than the ripe nose indicates, with good energy to its black fruit, licorice, tar and pepper flavors. The finish is quite tannic and long. This is impressive, but I prefer the 2009.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(15% alcohol): Saturated dark ruby. High-toned aromas of cassis, black raspberry, bitter chocolate and crushed-rock minerality. Layered and powerful on the palate, but with highly concentrated cassis, black raspberry and dark chocolate flavors energized by pungent chalky minerality and strong acidity. One feels the 15% alcohol in the wine's sheer size and chewy texture but the impressively long finish shows more tangy energy than heat. Needs five or six years of patience, but this comes across as considerably less tanninc and forbidding than the Pavie.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A Blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% natural alcohol, the higher percentage of Merlot in this wine than in the Pavie gives it a stunning opulence, thickness and luxuriousness. Opaque purple, with notes of mulberry and kirsch liqueur leaning toward blacker fruits, subtle smoked meats and some lead pencil and vanillin, this is another brawny, full-bodied, yet remarkably precise and fresh style of wine despite its sensational extract and power. Give it 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 30-40 years. This vineyard has shrunk, as part of it was incorporated into its more famous sibling, Chateau Pavie. It is now 8.5 acres sitting slightly higher on the slope above Pavie.
About the Producer
Chateau Pavie Decesse is located in the Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, and is one of the Grand Cru Classe of Saint-Emilion. Château Pavie Decesse has strong ties to Premier Grand Cru Classe A, which was originally owned by Château Pavie. In 1885, Ferdinand Bouffard, the owner of Chateau Pavie, decided to reorganise the vineyards and separated a plot of land called "Pigasse", thus giving birth to Château Pavie de Caisse. The estate was then passed on to Mr Marzelle. In 1970, when he died, his wife entrusted the estate to the Valette family, then owners of Château Lafite, who took over the estate in 1990. In 1997, Gerard Perse bought the estate, and the following year, he took it under his wing. Since becoming part of the Perse family, Château de Berfet de Sais has enjoyed the same treatment as Château de Berfet and the quality of its wines has continued to improve. The 3.65 hectares of vineyards of Château Pape de Cais are located on the limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion, next to the vineyards of Château Pape, and have similar terroirs but with different characteristics. The soil is mainly made up of limestone and clay soils and is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, with an average vine age of 43 years. The limestone gives the wines their freshness, floral aromas and minerality, while the clay provides structure to the finished wines. In the winemaking, Château de Pays follows the modern winemaking philosophy of the Pace family, sharing the same winemaking team as Château Pays. The grapes are harvested by hand after they have ripened and undergo a rigorous manual selection process before moving on to the next stage of the process. Grapes from different plots are fermented separately in three temperature-controlled vats to allow for fine-tuning during the final blend. The maceration lasts three weeks before the wine is transferred to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. After fermentation, the wine is matured in 80% new French oak barrels for 18-24 months, during which time it is racked every three months. This is followed by blending and bottling. In order to maintain the pure flavour of the wines, no clarification or filtration is carried out on the red wines of Château de Pape de Cais before bottling. Thanks to the excellent terroir, the wines of Château de Pape de Sais are rich and complex, full-bodied, with a fine tannic structure and excellent ageing potential. The red wines of Chateau Pavie Decesse, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France, are not only very popular with consumers, but have also been highly praised by prestigious wine critics and magazines.
