2009 Chateau Pavie Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1x750ml

Robert Parker 92

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Pavie ’09 has a lovely ripe bouquet with blackberry and dark plum fruit. It exudes restraint and class. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, a lovely citrus fruit but with a slightly baked quality towards the finish. Still, overall this is a lovely Saint Emilion, one that stylistically surprised a few experienced palates when its identity was revealed. I think it will merit a higher mark in the future. Tasted January 2013. [Neal Martin, 01/01/2013]

Vinous 96

(a blend of 70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon): Deep saturated ruby, one of the darkest wines of the vintage. Vibrant nose offers scents of blackberry, blueberry, minerals, dark chocolate, violet and garrigue. Lush, superconcentrated and voluminous, with plenty of energy to give shape to the mouthfilling dark fruit, dark chocolate, cedar and crushed rock flavors. This huge yet silky wine finishes with powerful fine-grained tannins and outstanding palate-staining persistence. I’d wait a good ten years before pulling the cork. A great vintage for Pavie, and one of the most impressive 2009s I’ve tasted. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/07/2012]