2005 Chateau Pavie Saint-Emilion 750 ml

Pavie’s Ascent to the Pantheon

Savvy buyers know to snap up the “Super Seconds” of Bordeaux’s Left Bank: perennial overperformers like Cos d’Estournel and Pichon-Lalande which, although they are Second Growths in name, are often regarded as highly as the First Growths.

On the Right Bank, that used to be Château Pavie: For decades it was categorized as Saint-Émilion 1er Grand Cru Classé “B,” but held in the same high esteem as Classé “A” properties Cheval Blanc and Ausone—Robert Parker even called it a “cherished terroir.” Finally, in 2012, Pavie got its due, and was promoted to Classé “A,” where it now keeps company—officially—with the crème de la crème of the Right Bank. Now, when you walk under the engraving on the château that reads 1er Grand Cru Classe “A,” you can feel the pride radiating from the edifice. 

If there’s one wine that embodies the Pavie estate’s ascent to the pantheon, it’s this 2005, from the vintage that the Wine Advocate considers the finest in Saint-Émilion since, well, ever. It’s a wine of “majestic mouthfeel,” according to Parker, who dubbed it one of the finest wines in all of Bordeaux in the historic ‘05 vintage. It’s truly a special wine that will give you a new perspective on time, considering Parker’s crowning it a “75- to 100-year-wine.” Think about that time frame. Then buy it. Cellar it. And live a long life!