Winemaker Notes
Blend: 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Just about pure perfection, the 2020 Château Pavie Decesse has sensational notes of blue fruits (cassis, blueberries) as well as some spicy oak, flowers, and smoke tobacco. Its oak is perfectly integrated, and the wine is full-bodied, with ripe tannins and a kiss of salinity on the finish. Based on 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc coming from the upper plateau, just above Château Pavie, it has a rare mix of power and finesse and is going to evolve for 20-25 years or more in cold cellars.
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James Suckling
Very deep aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate, dried meat, smoke, and cedar follow through to a full body, yet it’s very tight and refined on the palate with citrus and orange peel. Nice bitterness at the end. Power with finesse.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Pavie Decesse is a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc, aging in French oak barrels, 80% new. It has an alcohol of 14.81% and a pH of 3.52. Deep purple-black colored, notions of baked blackberries, preserved plums and black cherry compote come barreling out of the glass, followed by suggestions of dark chocolate, licorice and Indian spices, with a fragrant hint of lavender. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with rich, spicy black fruits, supported by firm yet beautifully plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long with lots of emerging earthy nuances.
Barrel Sample: 95-97 -
Wine Spectator
Flashy boysenberry and blackberry compote notes course around a graphite spine, while roasted apple wood and violet accents run along the edges. Not shy with the toast but shows the fruit to match it, offering a fine-grained structure. Hard to deny. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2038.
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Decanter
Dark, rich and brooding nose full of savoury liquorice, the fruit almost in the background, but you get a sense of heat and ripeness. Full and serious, smooth and unctuous, the tannins are grainy and a bit firm, so they give a sense of leanness on the palate, but the flavours are of spiced blackcurrants, redcurrants, roses and perfume. Juicy and halfway between being plump and being straight. It has a lovely sweet element, while still being clean and direct. Textured, lingering and fun.
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.