David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

This premier cru wine is adorned with a beautiful, deep violet color. The aromas are explosive, with smoky notes of roasted coffee and a range of rich, jammy black fruit typical of a great wine. Further signs of quality are evident on the palate, where a fresh attack and rich body are supported by elegant tannins that are very noticeable, yet fine. The mid-palate has an extraordinary volume and presence. The finish is long and flavorful, with a liveliness which gives balance to this wine made for long aging. Aromatically, the richness of this Pavie is already evident, but the wine's texture requires time to polish tannins which are still immature. This is a wine whose greatness will become more evident in the future as time brings out the expression of its excellent terroir. With a potential for aging 10 years—or even 20—this Pavie will go from strength to strength.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

This is the eighth vintage of Pavie produced under the ownership of Mme. and Mr. Perse, and it was a classic year which demonstrated that the château has a truly exceptional terroir. The color is a deep and dense purple, with violet highlights which underscore the wine's youth. Its clean aromas highlight good intensity and well-defined fruitiness. Black currants, blueberries and assorted black fruit are present, together with flattering chocolate and spicy notes derived from careful aging in barrel. The first impression on the palate is faultless, and the quality of the vintage becomes evident as its taste evolves. The wine shows a full body, both tight and supple at once. Everything comes together to create an exemplary balance. The tannins are fine-grained, with a structure which ensures a long and brilliant future. The wine's class and nobility express the care taken during vinification to respect the vintage's potential. The finish is mouth-watering and long, worthy of a great Saint-Emilion. This is a beautiful, polished 2005 whose powerful and fine structure produces a full and round impression. Forget it in the cellar for at least five years, but its great potential will allow the wine to age successfully for 20 years or more.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

This wine will long be remembered because there was a controversy surrounding its degree of ripeness. The colour is deep crimson, bordering on black. The nose reflects the hot summer, with a very concentrated bouquet of blackberry, juicy cherries, jam, and a touch of understated toasty aromas that take a back seat to the ripe fruit. 2003 Pavie is powerful and rich, with a very suave texture with a certain overripe quality that gives the impression of sweetness on the aftertaste. However, it is important to point out that great terroirs always do well during heat waves, which is borne out in the natural equilibrium of this wine. There is also lively acidity on the palate which gives added depth. The excellent, firm tannin beautifully underpins the concentration and richness of this incredible wine. The aftertaste is mouthwatering and impressively long. 2003 Pavie absolutely must be decanted ahead of time in order to unveil its many charms.

It would be a shame to open such a great bottle too soon, but you will be able to appreciate much of what it has to offer in 3-5 years, and its full ageing potential is at least 10-15 years.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

Intense purplish-red colour with garnet-red highlights. The oak comes through most of all on the nose at this stage, with roast coffee and chocolate aromas. However, the fruit is not far off. 2002 Pavie is full-bodied and elegant on the palate with fine-grained, elegant tannin that is neither unyielding nor dry. This wine is beautifully round with a very attractive mouth feel. It provides a sort of robust, immediate pleasure just as it is starting to open up, but needs to be decanted to dissipate some of the oak influence (which will integrate over time). Black fruit predominates on the palate, and the wine is best served with braised beef cheek, roast rack of veal, partridge, venison or other tasty game dishes.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

Please refer to the comments regarding other Vignobles Perse wines from this vintage. It is obvious that the overall level of 2001 is very good indeed. Château Pavie has a deep purple colour and a nose that is still rather closed-in, and in need of considerable aeration to come out. The bouquet is redolent of black fruit, blackcurrant, and a hint of well-integrated oak. The mouth feel is quite firm, and there is a great deal of substance there, underpinned by a tannic structure that bodes well for good ageing. The aftertaste is that of a very fine, but very young wine with tannin that obviously needs more time. However, 2001 Château Pavie is in no way dry, or unbalanced. It leaves a mouthwatering impression of freshness on the palate, a sure sign of very ripe grapes.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

A monumental wine and undoubtedly one of the best the château has ever produced. The dark, intense, ruby-red colour does not seem to have taken on any age at all. The nose is very fresh, with lots of very ripe and juicy berry fruit as well as refined toasty notes that fit in beautifully. This vintage shows us that a strong oak influence marries very well with Pavie's fruit in full-bodied vintages. 2000 Pavie is very smooth and suave on the palate with a great balance between tannin and acidity. The mouth feel is very pleasant, and there is a wonderful velvety sensation. The aftertaste is spicy, with a hint of cocoa and the unique flavour of a noble terroir, in a prime location on the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau. The finish is super long and very distinguished. It is a huge pleasure to taste this wine, which has quite a reputation around the world. Its stellar quality calls for more elaborate dishes such as veal chops with black truffle, pigeon with Burlat cherries, canon d'agneau (boneless filled and rolled loin of lamb), and lamb sweetbreads with artichoke.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

Lovers of Château Pavie will be delighted with this vintage that is already very enjoyable to drink. It still has a very youthful appearance, with a brilliant, deep, ruby-red colour. There are powerful, complex, and very interesting aromas of black fruit, blackcurrant, stewed prunes, and truffle, as well as a smoky overtone. It is a pure delight to discover the aromatics that come from this terroir. 1999 Pavie has a straightforward attack, going on to reveal very elegant, fine-grained, mouth-watering tannin. This full-bodied wine has an aftertaste of spice and very ripe fruit. In keeping with Pavie's status, the finish is very long and persistent. There is a slight impression of alcohol that disappears if the wine is served at the right temperature (16-18° C). 

1999 Pavie goes beautifully with rabbit in a mustard sauce, duck pâté, and truffle in puff pastry - gastronomic dishes enabling this first vintage of the new Pavie era to show its marvellous complexity.

David Biraud

Meilleur ouvrier de France 2004
Meilleur ouvrier de France 2002

This vintage marks an important change in Pavie's taste profile. The colour is still a very deep and shimmering ruby red. The nose is very concentrated, with a multitude of aromas such as spice, cinnamon, cherry jelly, candied morello cherry, and a hint of cocoa one often finds in Pavie's bouquet. 1998 Pavie is very charming on the palate with elegant, tight-knit tannin and a rich, opulent body that coats the palate for a very long time. The obvious ripeness of the grapes confirms the superb reputation of this vintage in Saint-Émilion. A very long, fresh aftertaste gives an added dimension to this wine. This is a very great vintage at Pavie which has tremendous ageing potential.

This great wine makes a wonderful match for pot au feu, roast wild duck with blackcurrant, an entrecôte steak cooked over vine cuttings, or wild mushrooms in puff pastry.