Wine Advisor
Pavie Decesse 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.57 and 14.52% alcohol, the 2018 Pavie Decesse is deep garnet-purple in color, bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of stewed black and red cherries, plum pudding and blackberry preserves, leading to an undercurrent of Indian spices, cardamom, camphor and star anise, plus a waft of woodsmoke. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely coated with black fruit preserves and exotic spices, supported by a firm, velvety texture and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering menthol note. It is absolutely scrumptious right now, but give it 4-5 years or more in bottle for experiencing that next-level, and drink it over the following 25+ years.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Grapes for this wine come from the plateau and were harvested October 3 with yields of 32 hectoliters per hectare. Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.57 and 14.52% alcohol, the 2018 Pavie Decesse is deep purple-black in color and strides confidently out of the glass with a very serious nose of crushed blackberries, warm black plums, mulberries and cassis plus touches of camphor, lavender, black olives and crushed rocks with a waft of woodsmoke. Full-bodied and laden with taut, muscular black fruit and loads of mineral accents, it has a firm structure of super ripe, finely grained tannins and amazing freshness, finishing very long and very layered.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Pavie-Decesse is heady and explosive in the glass. Inky red/purplish berry fruit, rose petal, lavender, mint and cinnamon are all kicked up. Racy and opulent to the core, with impeccable balance, Pavie-Decesse has so much to offer. It has come together beautifully over the last two years and today shows a bit less brute power than it did as a barrel sample.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Pavie-Decesse is laced with the essence of blackberry jam, grilled herbs, spice, leather and tobacco, all of which add to an impression of brooding power. This massively tannic, backward Saint-Émilion is going to require patience, but there is certainly plenty to look forward to. In 2018, Pavie-Decesse impresses with its vertical intensity and pure power.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Pavie-Decesse was picked on 3 October (just one day). It has an intense and unashamedly floral bouquet with plenty of dried violet petals infusing the black cherry and blueberry fruit - very precocious. The palate is medium-bodied with velvety tannin, great weight in the mouth with a harmonious finish that just needs to develop more charm. But the fineness of tannins should see this through if you can afford it several years in the cellar.
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.
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Package Size
3 x 1.5L
