94pts Jeb Dunnuck

Since 2015, this estate has made a concerted effort to up the quality of their second wine, adding 4 hectares that previously went into the grand vin as well as purchasing vines on the upper plateau. I’d say it’s working, as the 2016 Aromes de Pavie certainly has a “baby Pavie” feel in its full-bodied, rich, yet elegant profile. Sporting a deep purple color as well as powerful notes of blackberries, truffle, forest floor, and tobacco, it has remarkable purity of fruit, silky tannins, and a great finish. It ranks with the top second wines in Bordeaux and is going to keep for 20-25 years. The blend is 66% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged in 50% new French oak.

94pts James Suckling

Extremely floral and beautiful with plum and dark-berry aromas. Medium to full body, round, silky tannins and a savory finish. Second wine of Château Pavie. Drink after 2023

94pts Wine Enthusiast

The second wine of Château Pavie is dense with dark tannins and superripe fruit. Bold and concentrated it still highlights the fruitiness of the vintage. Although it has big tannins and great potential, the wine also shows plenty of freshness. Drink from 2024.

93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2016 Arômes de Pavie has a deep garnet-purple color and is a little closed to begin, slowly revealing notes of crushed red and black cherries, raspberry preserves, plum pudding, blueberry pie and prunes with touches of espresso, star anise, cumin seed and wood smoke plus a waft of dusty soil. Full, firm and grainy structured, the rock-solid frame supports all the generous black and red fruit preserves with plenty of exotic spice nuances, finishing long and earthy. 93+

90pts Decanter

Pavie's second wine made from around 30% of production in 2016, with 70% in the main event. This has some lovely, extremely tight coffee and black chocolate flavours. It's excellent quality, still very much in the Pavie mould of impact and power, the iron fist around a distinctly rich velvet glove approach. 66% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaker Notes

Starting with the 2005 vintage, Château Pavie officially announces the release of a second-label wine under the name of "Arômes de Pavie” which replaces "Château Tour Simard” because it would be easier for consumers to recognize this wine. Principally from young vines that are less than ten years old, the final blend also contains numerous barrels that were remaining following the severe selection that is practiced for the first wine. The same care and attention goes into the production of this wine as to Pavie itself.

Terroir typical of the Saint-Emilion limestone plateau composed of clay-limestone soil on an asteriated limestone subsoil. Located at an altitude of approximately 85 meters above the Dordogne River.

Malolactic fermentation in barrel and the wine is aged, depending on the vintages in 70% to 100% new oak, for 18 - 32 months.

Winery Notes

Established on the splendid “Côte Pavie”, the vineyard of Château Pavie was planted by the roman in the 4th century who first saw the incredible potential of this terroir. The history of the property goes back to 1850 when the Pimpinelle estate was owned by Mr Fayard and Mr Chapus who, thanks to their work, managed to obtain a gold medal at the Paris World Fair.

Less than ten years later, it was bequeathed to Ferdinand Bouffard, a Bordeaux merchant who, in twenty years, managed to build up a 50-hectare estate by buying up several properties. Just after the war, it was bought by Albert Porte when Ferdinand Bouffard passed away. By unifying the properties of Mr. Bouffard, he created Château Pavie (The name comes from a particularly sweet and juicy peach variety that was growing on the slope).

Alexandre Valette took over in 1943 and succeeded in raising it to the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé B in 1955. His grandson, who had taken over in 1957, sold it to Gérard Perse in 1998 who is still the owner today. Thanks to major investments in both the vineyard and the cellar and to additional work towards maturity and precision, the latter managed to raise his estate to the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé “A” during the revision of the classification of Saint-Emilion wines in 2012.

The magnificence of Château Pavie comes from its exceptional terroir (37 hectares planted in one block) made of limestone, clay and sand-clay, with over 80 meters of altitude variation offering a multitude of micro-terroir, with mostly south exposure, where the typical grape varieties of the right bank (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) achieve perfect maturity.