Chateau Pavie 2016

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2016 Pavie a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a fragrant perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blueberries and eucalyptus over a core of preserved plums, kirsch, black raspberries and crème de cassis plus hints of licorice and chargrilled meat. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid foundation of firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness interknit with the black fruit preserves and minerally layers, finishing very long and very decadent. Superb!"

JAMES SUCKLING: "Spectacular aromas of crushed berries, such as blueberries and raspberries. Fresh flowers with hints of sandalwood. Exotic. Saturated palate of so much fruit, yet remains agile and energetic. Great length and texture. Fills your mouth. This needs time, but a classic. Twin brother of the perfect 2015."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Turning the dial up considerably, the 2016 Château Pavie leaps out of the glass with a thrilling bouquet of crème de cassis, toasty oak, graphite, white truffle, crayons, and flowers. A blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 85% new French oak (the new oak has been dialed back in recent vintages), this full-bodied Pavie is made in a more elegant, seamless style compared to prior great vintages, yet it still has brilliant depth of fruit and concentration, ripe, present tannins, a seamless texture, and an awesome finish."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky in color, the wine is powerful, dense, concentrated, full-bodied and packed to the gills with its unique blend of flowers, crushed stone, smoke, licorice, espresso and very ripe plums and black cherries. Thick and rich, with a finish that does not want to quit, this attention-seeking beauty demands at least 10-15 years in the cellar before it's ready for prime time drinking."

DECANTER: "One of the most thrilling surprises of the vintage, here a new approach to a more finely-wrought Pavie has collided with a vintage that has natural freshness and acidity. The result shows the potential of this terroir. Without a doubt the best Pavie that I have ever tasted, and one where I have not had to say, 'yes, but...'. Let's not pretend that it's night and day from the old regime, but nor should it be - Pavie needs to keep its signature black fruited glamour and intensity, as that is part of what delivered its new status, but to my mind this is a far better balance than in the past. The blend is 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, the lowest amount of Merlot since Perse arrived. This still has reams of intense fruit, but the tannins are not immovable as they have been in some years, and pulses of minerality leap up on the finish to make your mouth water. Gorgeous. It is also fascinating to learn the technical details that have helped bring out the vintage character - besides the lower Merlot content, there were 10 days less maceration than last year and only 70% new oak."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, fester Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung, intensives Aroma nah an schwarzen Kirschen, reife Zwetschken, feine Edelholzwürze, etwas Nougat. Saftig, elegant, feine Fruchtsüße, reife Tannine, lebendig, mineralisch, alles sitzt am rechten Fleck, ein Klassewein mit sicherem Reifepotenzial."

WINE SPECTATOR: "This is a rather showy—and captivating—display of fruit, with waves of lush cassis, raspberry and plum reduction flavors flowing through with authority and grace while a swath of chalky minerality stays deeply buried throughout. Toasty, glistening with vanilla and apple wood notes, but the fruit has the oak bridle easily in hand. One of the Right Bank showstoppers of the vintage. Best from 2024 through 2040. 6,667 cases made."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This release underlines this estate's change in style towards more elegant wines. While concentrated, the wine has stylish layers of black-plum fruit, beautiful acidity and freshness. Black-chocolate flavors are fully integrated into the rich tannins. This will develop into a great wine. Drink from 2025."

WEINWISSER: "Sattes Granat, rubiner Rand. Traumhaftes Nuss- und Cassisbouquet, frisch gebackenes Brot, Lakritze, Spitzwegerich. Im Gaumen schon erstaunlich saftig und für einen jungen Pavie der neueren Zeit recht fein, viel rote Beeren, die frisch und trotz des massiven Körpers fast beschwingt über die Zunge gleiten. Ist der Wein jetzt in der Fruchtphase, dass er sich schon so schön geniessen lässt? Er macht auf alle Fälle viel Spass – und das sicher lange Zeit."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Hidden nose that almost hints at left rather than right bank. Big and bold and fleshy. Dramatic! Lots of tannins here but also lots of everything else. Tarmacadam. Kerpow! But it finishes focused and dry."