Farr Vintners Logo

Pavie 1998

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Pavie

Label

Tasting Notes

Medium to deep garnet-brick in color, the 1998 Pavie prances out of the glass with showy notes of black cherry preserves, stewed plums, and kirsch leading to suggestions of sandalwood, menthol, crushed rocks, and iron ore with a waft of potpourri. The medium to full-bodied palate is bright and impactful, delivering shimmery yet rich black fruits and loads of exotic spice sparks, supported by amazing tension and satiny tannins, finishing on an epically long-lasting anise note. This is stunning! It still has 15-20+ years.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, December 2023

This wine still possesses a dense, youthful, plum/garnet color to the rim, with very little lightening. The first vintage for Pavie under Chantal and Gérard Perse, the 1998 is full-bodied, showing lots of cedar wood, forest floor, roasted herbs, black cherry and blackcurrant and new saddle leather. It is quite full-bodied, opulent and seems to be just entering its plateau of full maturity, where it should last another 15-20 years.


Pavie is widely acclaimed as one of Bordeaux’s greatest terroirs, of largely limestone and clay soils. Brilliantly situated with a sunny, southern exposure and exceptional drainage, Pavie potentially rivals nearby Ausone, the oldest and possibly the most famous estate in Bordeaux. Pavie’s other nearby neighbors include, Pavie-Macquin and Troplong-Mondot to the north, Larcis-Ducasse to the southeast and La Gaffelière and Saint-Georges Côte Pavie to the west.
Until 1978, previous owners rarely produced great wine, but of course that all changed with the acquisition of the 92-acre, single vineyard by Chantal and Gérard Perse. In short, they dramatically raised the quality. Currently, the vineyard is planted with 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, but the actual blend for each vintage tends to possess slightly higher amounts of Merlot. A perfectionist, owner Gérard Perse is flexible with the percentage of new oak, as well as how long the wine is aged in cask. Great vintages can get 100% new oak and spend up to 32 months in barrel. Lesser years are bottled after 18 months and see at least 30% less new oak.
There is no fining or filtration. The resulting wine has been considered one of the superstars of Bordeaux since 1978.

95
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (#220), August 2015

I have always found much to enjoy in this, Gérard Perse's sophomore vintage. Now at 15 years of age it is maturing in pleasing fashion with slightly pinched blackberry fruit infused with black olive and iodine. There is real backbone on the palate: sensual dark cherry and kirsch fruit, touches of cassis coming through with great poise and refinement on the finish. Pretty irresistible now, though it should last another 15 years without too much problem. Tasted December 2012.

95
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, May 2013

Still blackish hints in the crimson. Sweet spicy notes on the nose. Quite complex and intriguing without being exaggerated. Lovely balance and follow through. Long and neat. This wine is really rewarding. Just slightly dry on the finish. Hint of orange peel.

18
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2006

Produced from 50 year old vines, this 80% Merlot wine is being elevaged in 100% new oak by new owner G. Perse who has enjoyed huge critical acclaim for his transformation of the quality of Monbousquet. This perfectly situated vineyard in the heart of St Emilion has produced incredibly low yields of only 20 hl/ha. Very impressive, sweet and succulent. The only problem will be the price. FV 16.5

Farr Vintners, June 1999
Read more tasting notes...

The 1998 Pavie is deep garnet-brick in color. So much fruit comes charging out of the gate here: profound crème de cassis, baked blackberries and blackberry preserves with notions of beef dripping, crushed rocks, unsmoked cigar, sandalwood and dried lavender. Big, rich and beautifully impactful, it is completely packed with taut, muscular black and blue fruit preserves, maintaining nice firm grainy tannins with layer after layer of exotic spices, meat and earth notions, finishing epically long and minerally. Should easily continue to cellar for 25+ years.

97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, May 2018

A 50-year wine, this opaque purple-colored offering exhibits a strong, precise nose of black fruits, liquid minerals, smoke, and graphite. Extremely full-bodied, yet brilliantly delineated, powerful, and awesomely concentrated, it boasts a fabulous mid-palate as well as a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This vin de garde requires 5-6 years of cellaring. A tour de force in winemaking, it has the potential to be the most profound Pavie ever produced, except for its two successors. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2045.

95+
Robert Parker, Bordeaux Book (4), December 2003
99
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Dec 2001), December 2001

A 50-year wine, this opaque purple-colored offering exhibits a strong, precise nose of black fruits, liquid minerals, smoke, and graphite. Extremely full-bodied, yet brilliantly delineated, powerful, and awesomely concentrated, it boasts a fabulous mid-palate as well as a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This vin de garde requires 5-6 years of cellaring. A tour de force in winemaking, it has the potential to be the most profound Pavie ever produced, except for its two successors. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2045.

95
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (134), April 2001

1998 Bordeaux Blind Tasting for Executive Wine Seminars, NY
December, 2001

My notes on all of these wines have been published several times in The Wine Advocate. There were no surprises at this tasting, except for the fact that a vast majority of the group of 150 people preferred the Pavie, followed by Quinault l’Enclos, and Monbousquet. As my scores indicate, I was in agreement with the group on the first-place wine, but not the second and third. The tasting was a spectacular success, with the strength of this vintage, the right bank appellations of Pomerol and St.-Emilion, strutting their stuff. Médoc was under-represented except for several of the finest wines. The tasting once again demonstrated the greatness of 1998 St.-Emilions and Pomerols, as well as the fact that the 1998 Pavie, at about one-third of the 2000's price, is undoubtedly one of the greatest Pavies ever made. (Pavie 1998: 99 points)

95
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Dec 2001), January 2001

After being tasted on three separate occasions in January (2000) , it looks to be extraordinary, as well as one of the vintage's most profound efforts. Black/purple coloured with an exceptionally complex nose of wet stones and blueberry liqueur, this enormously rich, powerful, dense, layered wine possesses profound concentration, as well as an uncanny sense of elegance and potential complexity. The integration of wood, tannin and alcohol has been done in a seamless manner, as it is powerful, with stupendous concentration and richness, yet unbelievable finesse for an effort of such size and intensity. The tannin is noticeable but sweet, and the finish lasts for nearly a minute. This may be the most compelling Pavie of the twentieth century. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2030

93/96
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (128), April 2000
91/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (122), April 1999
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.