Winemaker Notes
This wine, an assemblage from young vines, displays a very attractive purple color that is deep, clear and characteristically youthful in appearance. Notes of fresh blackberry define an aromatic profile which is clean, fresh and lively, supporting a fine, delicate oak character that subtly respects the wine's fruit. In the mouth a firm, gripping texture shows off well-incorporated, finely-grained tannins to impart an attractive balance. This wine is fresh, with a long and delicious finish. With time to breathe, its crisp, black-fruit identity and aged character shows this to be a well-crafted wine. The vintage is one which offers immediate pleasure. Drink now, but there's no danger in letting it rest in the cellar for another 2 to 5 years.
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
As owners of the iconic Châteaux, Pavie, Pavie-Decesse, Monbousquet, Bellevue-Mondotte, and Clos Lunelles, Gérard Perse and the Perse Family have redefined their legacy. Beginning in the 90's, Gérard and his family set forth to re-invigorate some of the most sought after wines of the Right Bank. Tremendous investment in each winery, vineyard, as well as the expertise of the legendary Bordeaux winemaker Michel Rolland, has reestablished each Châteaux as the best of their appellations.
Fast-forward to 2008, Monsieur Perse along with his team saw a re-imagined expression of the complexity of terroirs found on the Right Bank. By selecting premium holdings from young vines of Château Pavie and blending the fruit with two estate-owned vineyards in Castillon-Côtes de Bordeaux, Esprit de Pavie was born. The sites selected for Esprit de Pavie from the Dordogne Valley -- characterized by sandy-gravelly foothills, clay hillsides and clay-limestone plateau -- manifest supple fruit, dense tannin and structure, with intense depth of flavor. This is world-class wine at its finest -- no other premier estate in Bordeaux offers this quality to price.
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.