2015 Chateau Pavie Saint-Emilion 750 ml

The 2015 Château Pavie Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is one of the greatest wines from one of the finest Right Bank vintages this century. There’s little we can say it that Jeb Dunnuck didn’t capture in his 100-point review: 

“Pure perfection in a glass,” he called it, before praising it as “massive” and “superbly concentrated.” Dunnuck concludes that the 2015 Pavie—whose 100-point honor equals $730 Haut-Brion and $2,000+ Château Margaux—is “unquestionably one of the great vintages for this cuvée.”

Grown on the steepest slopes of any top estate in Bordeaux, Pavie is generally recognized to be the most powerful and opulent bottling made in Saint-Émilion. The estate’s Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines enjoy abundant sunlight, while the well-draining soils force the roots to dig deep in search of moisture, ultimately yielding densely concentrated berries.

Grown in a 2015 vintage rated 97 points by Wine Spectator—one of the two finest seasons this century—this wine shows boundless depth and phenomenal fruit purity. It’s an absolute stunner in the glass, bursting with blueberry compote and cassis on the nose, with a full, bold palate that will hold up for decades and decades. 

Proprietor Gérard Perse purchased the Pavie estate in 1998, and though it was already producing stellar wine, he built all new temperature-controlled fermentation vats and cellars. He then hired legendary consulting winemaker Michel Rolland to run the show. Rolland rigorously reshaped the vines, cutting yields from 55 hectoliters per hectare to less than 30. Severe pruning and green harvesting further pushed the envelope on maturity. 

Pavie has only continued to astonish since then. The 2015, perfectly cellared at the château, is proof that their wines stand with the best.