2023 Château Pavie, 1er Grand Cru Classé St-Emilion

The 2023 Pavie is fabulous. Rich, dense and explosive in the glass, it offers up generous dark red fruit, cedar, spice, pipe tobacco, menthol and mocha. The 2023 impresses with its notable density and sheer palate presence. Naturally, this needs time to be at its best, but it is already incredibly expressive. This is a superb vintage for Pavie.

The 2023 Pavie was picked from September 18 to October 5 at 32.76hL/ha, with some Cabernet Franc actually picked after the Cabernet Sauvignon. Raised in 72% new French oak plus one-year-old barrels, this has a very well-defined and fresh bouquet that articulates the terroir with some style. It is completely different from the Pavie wines I tasted at the estate 10 to 15 years ago—more classical and sophisticated. The palate is medium-bodied with a clean and precise entry. It's lightly spiced with a subtle marine influence—shucked oyster shells and seaweed are embroidered through the black fruit. There's a dash of black pepper toward the finish that remains focused and feels long in the mouth. This is an excellent Pavie in the making.

The depth and intensity is really out of this world. The richness is there, but it's all in balance and has an almost weightless feel to it. It's medium- to full-bodied with purity and definition, and the magic of limestone soils keeps the pH low, giving energy, bright acidity and verve. Terrific young red. 51% merlot, 32% cabernet franc and 17% cabernet sauvignon.