Chateau Pavie
Château Pavie is a famous Saint-Émilion winery founded in the mid-19th century. The winery was originally a Premier Grand Cru Classé B according to the 1955 Saint-Émilion classification. In 2012, the classification was revised and Pavie was promoted to a Premier Grand Cru Classé A status in that year. Since 1998, the estate has been owned by Gérard Perse, who also owns Château Pavie Decesse and Château Monbousquet.
Pavie has 37 hectares of vineyards in production in which merlot plays the main role. The terroir can be divided into three different categories. The vineyards on the Saint-Émilion plateau have white limestone soils. The plots on the hillside are about 50 metres from the Dordogne River and these have brown soils consisting of clay and limestone. The foothills of the hill also have brown clay and limestone soils, but here you will also find sandy structures. This combination ensures good drainage and is not too fertile for the vines. Maintenance of the vineyards is entirely manual.
After the takeover, renowned consultant Michel Rolland was hired to advise on vinification. Two different wines are produced: Château Pavie and Arômes de Pavie. The latter is the house's second wine. The blend of the grand vin usually consists of 65% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. The way both wines are fermented depends on the vintage. This also applies to the wood ageing, which is why the ageing period is between 18 and 32 months. The circulation of the two wines is limited. About 100,000 bottles are released each year. The quality of the wines is outstanding. The grand vin has been awarded 100 Parker points no less than five times in the past 20 years. These are the legendary vintages: 2000, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016.
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