Chateau Pavie Decesse 2019

Chateau Pavie-Decesse was long hidden by the shadow of its older brother, Chateau Pavie. The two estates, Grand Cru Classe of Saint-Emilion, were separated in 1885 but keep a lot of similarities. Both have been owned by Gerard Perse since 1997 and benefit from an exceptional location on the limestone plateau of Saint-Emilion. With 3.5 hectares of prime land, it is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are a respectable 43 years old, and a draconian requirement is practiced in the vineyard to obtain the most beautiful and mature harvest each year. The grapes are picked and sorted by hand, then fermented in nine temperature-controlled wooden vats for three weeks to produce approximately 600 cases per year.

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2019 Chateau Pavie Decesse sports a vivid purple hue, a stunning nose of pure cassis, lead pencil, graphite, spring flowers, chocolate, and a wonderful chalky minerality. It's put on weight since I tasted it from the barrel and brings full-bodied richness and depth with plenty of ripe tannins, all of which are grounded by classic Saint-Emilion limestone-driven minerality. It's a beautifully deep, layered, powerful Pavie Decesse that will need 7-8 years, if not a decade, to hit maturity and have 20-30 years of longevity.

96+ Points - James Suckling

Wow. A big, rich wine with lots of tannins here. It's full-bodied with a core of tannins that frame the wine nicely. Intense and powerful at the finish.

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast

The vines for this wine are situated on the Saint-Émilion plateau. While the wine shows power and concentration, the quality of the black plum and berry fruits provides a fine counterpoint. This fine wine is in a line from this estate that ages well.

92 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

From a small vineyard located on the limestone slopes above Pavie itself, the Perse family's 2019 Pavie Decesse exhibits aromas of ripe cherries, creme de cassis, and fruit liqueurs mingled with notions of menthol, vanilla pod and cloves. Full-bodied, rich and extracted, it's thick and muscular, with lively acids and prodigious reserves of chewy tannin that assert themselves on the finish.