2019 Château Pavie, St Emilion, Bordeaux

50% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. First year there’s been a 50/50 Merlot/Cabernets split. Barrel sample.Deep purple-black to the rim. Dark, ripe and complex with a leafy, blackcurrant note. Still assertively tannic and powerful but there’s a little more restraint and the tannins are polished and refined. Cool limestone terroir shows. Finishes on a muscly, chewy note. Plenty of wine but will need time. (JL) 14.7%Drink 2030 – 2050james_lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com (June 2020)

The 2019 Pavie is a blend of 50% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested from the 30th of September to the 11th of October. The yields this year were 35 hectoliters per hectare, and the alcohol came in at 14.73%, while the pH was 3.55 (remarkably low!). Very deep garnet-purple in color, the nose opens with a beguiling array of intertwined earth and black fruit scents: baked plums, black cherry preserves, tilled soil, black truffles, mossy tree bark and mulberries with nuances of allspice, clove oil, espresso and cedar chest. Full-bodied, densely packed and with a rock-solid structure, the constrained flavor layers are just waiting to explode; it's framed by firm, exquisitely ripe, rounded tannins and this vineyard's signature freshness, finishing with epic length and depth. Quaking with latent power and shimmering with a kaleidoscope of electric flavors, this could only be Pavie.Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, robertparker_com (June 2020)

This is superb with great length and quality tannins. It’s full-bodied with intense, polished tannins and great length. Tar and black fruit. Goes on for minutes. On and on. We will see which is better: 2019 or 2018.james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (May 2020)