Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From an incredible terroir on the upper plateau, just above Pavie, the 2018 Château Pavie Decesse is a normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in mostly new French oak. Its dense purple color is followed by an incredibly classic limestone-driven bouquet of chalky minerality, white flowers, truffle, lead pencil, and cassis and blackberry-like fruits. This carries to an incredibly pure, full-bodied Saint-Emilion with nicely integrated acidity, flawless balance, building tannin's, and a great finish. This remarkable, elegant yet powerful 2018 won't hit full maturity for another 10-12 years, but it's a magical Saint-Emilion that should live for 30-40 years. Rating : 98+
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James Suckling
Aromas of reduced blackberry and blueberry with black licorice and dried flowers. It’s full-bodied with chewy yet polished tannins and a long finish. A little tight and reserved now, but shows intensity and focus. Powerful. Merlot with 10% cabernet franc. Try after 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc with a pH of 3.57 and 14.52% alcohol, the 2018 Pavie Decesse is deep garnet-purple in color, bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of stewed black and red cherries, plum pudding and blackberry preserves, leading to an undercurrent of Indian spices, cardamom, camphor and star anise, plus a waft of wood smoke. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is completely coated with black fruit preserves and exotic spices, supported by a firm, velvety texture and bags of freshness, finishing on a lingering menthol note. It is absolutely scrumptious right now, but give it 4-5 years or more in bottle for experiencing that next-level, and drink it over the following 25+ years. Rating : 97+
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Wine Spectator
A stunner, with waves of cassis, creamed raspberry and plum reduction that are thoroughly seductive while staying focused and driven thanks to a deeply imbedded graphite edge. There's melted licorice, sweet toast and warmed anise notes for extra sparkle throughout, while the fruit just pumps on the through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2040.
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Decanter
Always one of my favourites in the Perse stable, this is once again delicious. Chewy tannins are joined by ripples of coffee and soft brambly fruits, subtly shifting gear as it moves through the palate. The average age of the vines here is 51 years old, which helps to give depth of flavour. There's a sense of straining against the barricades here, with the fruit being firmly held in check by the tannins. It's not going anywhere soon.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.