Chateau Pavie (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2004

"A conspicuously modern wine, Pavie with its hyper-ripe fruit and substantial new oak treatment stands out as an offense to some, a glorious pleasure to others. In the case of the 2004, it carries the oak beautifully, untamed by it. The wine is wild, in fact, and quite hard to resist. The cool complexity of the tannins grows out of three terroirs: the limestone plateau, a sector of gravel and limestone and a third sector of clay. The fruit opens with thick-skinned black plum power, reverberating with feral scents and violets. Staunch and formidable, the wine is packed with life."

96 Points

Wine & Spirits

"A brilliant effort from proprietors Chantal and Gerard Perse, Pavie's 2004 (7,050 cases) exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color, a surprisingly soft, forward style for this hallowed terroir, full-bodied, and concentrated creme de cassis flavors intermixed with cherries, truffles, and subtle smoky wood notes. Beautifully-textured as well as expansive, this may be the most developed and forward Pavie made by Perse since his acquisition of the property in 1998. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2025+.
91+"

95 Points

The Wine Advocate

"Black in color, inky, with treacle tart, tar and intense berry on the nose. Full-bodied, with chewy yet caressing tannins and lots of ripe, almost raisiny fruit character. Mouthpuckering. Needs time. Best after 2016. "

93 Points

Wine Spectator

"Good deep fresh ruby. Vibrant, complex aromas of blackberry, violet, licorice, espresso and minerals. Concentrated, spicy and fresh, with lovely clarity and lift to its penetrating dark fruit and mineral flavors. Densely packed and downright palate-staining for 2004 without any impression of heaviness. This has plenty of fat for the year and finishes impressively dense, with ripe, building tannins. Owner Gerard Perse notes that Pavie has the benefit of three different soil types, while Pavie-Decesse is a single block of old vines on calcaire Thus Pavie is always more complex, he adds, and the portion of younger vines at Pavie brings a fruity quality that's sometimes missing in Pavie-Decesse."

93 Points

International Wine Cellar