2001 Pavie
By Chateau Pavie
2001 Pavie from Chateau Pavie, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
The turn of the millennium heralded a new epoch not just for the Gregorian calendar but also for the enigmatic terroir of Saint-Emilion. Nestled in this prestigious right bank appellation, one finds the 2001 vintage from Chateau Pavie, an offering that marries climatic serendipity with vinicultural prowess.
Sublime Synthesis: The 2001 Narrative
In assessing the investment-calibre wines of Bordeaux, it is vital to contextualise the weather patterns that shaped their genesis. The year 2001 in Saint-Emilion was marked by an exceptional growing season – a temperate summer followed by an Indian summer during the harvest period. These conditions allowed for a prolonged ripening process that imbued the grapes from Chateau Pavie with both concentration and finesse.
Vintage Virtuosity: Tasting Notes
The nose of this paramount 2001 Pavie from Chateau Pavie presents an olfactory ballet of ripe plums, cassis, and subtly integrated oak nuances. On the palate, one experiences a wine of remarkable structure; tannins are present yet impeccably polished, weaving through dark fruit flavours towards an enduring finish. Notes of tobacco and licorice hint at maturity without overpowering the primary fruit.
The mastery in managing merlot-dominant blends is laid bare in this vintage. A symphony of power and elegance plays out sip after sip, fulfilling the promises whispered by its garnet hue and consistent legs that cling to the glass – signs of a wine with much more to offer.
An Investment in Liquid Artistry
The 2001 Pavie is an exemplar of investment-grade Bordeaux, embodying the depth and complexity that fortify its prestige in the secondary market. As custodians of fine wine collections deliberate expansion or refinement, contemplating this vintage of Chateau Pavie should be met with gravitas. Twenty years hence, its trajectory finds the 2001 Pavie at a sensational plateau with potential longevity ahead – a reassuring prospect for investors and connoisseurs alike.
In closing, the poetic alchemy captured within each bottle affirms that this Bordeaux is not merely liquid in form but liquid history – a tapestry woven from weather and earth, skill and time. Savouring or securing the 2001 Pavie from Chateau Pavie offers one an intimate audience with excellence.
Current market price
$4,820.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
180.63
Scores and tasting notes
A great showing for this wine in the mini-vertical, the 2001 Pavie has a slight lightening at the edge of its dark garnet/plum/purple color and a big, sweet kiss of cedar wood, incense, licorice, blackberry and lead pencil shavings. The wine is dense, very rich, multilayered and finishes with at least a 40- to 45-second aftertaste. This wine seems to be close to full maturity, but should hold there for easily another 15-20 years. It’s a sleeper of the vintage.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 27 August 2015
One of the candidates for wine of the vintage ... again, the 2001 Pavie, from a magnificent south-facing vineyard planted primarily on limestone soil, is a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. After a six week maceration, it spent nearly 24 months in new oak prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Some Bordeaux brokers think it might be even better than the 2000 Pavie, but I do not agree. The inky/ruby/purple-colored 2001 exhibits a tight but promising nose of crushed stones, a liqueur of blackberries, cherries, and black currants, and subtle smoke and licorice in the background. Powerful, with impressive elegance, fine harmony among its elements, a multi-layered texture, it has a finish that lasts for 50+ seconds. There is considerable tannin, but it is well-integrated. Give it 3-4 years, and drink it over the next two decades. A profound effort for the vintage, it is an example of a perfectionist proprietor pushing the envelope of quality.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #153 June 2004
Tasted at the Fine Wine Experience’s Pavie vertical. A garnet core with a ruby rim. The bouquet is showing very fine definition with more Saint Emilion character coming through than recent vintages. Blackberry, raspberry, pine, sage, allspice and a touch of liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, lovely balance and focus, supple tannins with a dense black cherries, blueberry, cassis and espresso- and mocha-infused finish. There is something almost Pomerol like developing in the ’01. This is an intriguing Chateau Pavie, one of the most cerebral under Perse. Tasted June 2010.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Sep 2011