Chateau Pavie Decesse 2017

Professional Ratings

• 98 Jeb Dunnuck

  Coming from a vineyard just above Chateau Pavie, the 2017 Chateau Pavie Decesse is a brilliant blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up all in new oak. It reveals a dense purple/plum color as well as stunning notes of creme de cassis, caramelized black cherries, graphite, crushed rocks, and candied violets. Deep, massively concentrated and powerful, yet with considerable elegance, fine tannins, and outstanding length, it’s a magical wine. Give it 4-5 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following 20-30 years.

• 97 Wine Spectator

  This is laden with cassis and warmed plum compote notes, infused liberally with violet and anise accents. Gains depth and richness with air, yet maintains a racy edge due to its mouthwatering acidity and perfectly embedded chalky spine on the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2040. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

• 97 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  There was no frost in the vineyard in 2017, due to its elevation. This is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, and 100% of the grapes come from the limestone plateau. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pavie Decesse bursts from the glass with bold notes of crushed black cherries, baked plums and boysenberries plus wafts of licorice, smoked meats and cracked black pepper with a hint of tree bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers wonderfully concentrated, crunchy black fruits and racy acidity to balance with firm, ripe, rounded tannins and a very long, very minerally finish.

• 96 James Suckling

  This is a very long wine with lots of currant, mushroom, tobacco and bark character. It delivers a full-bodied palate impression with lots of ripe, silky tannins, yet they are always reserved and beautiful. Needs three or four years to open. Try after 2024.

• 93 Decanter

  Intense and powerful, again a reflection of house philosophy. Layered and sexy, it is always the wine that I like the most in the Perse range - and you can get stuck into this with a good carafing in two or three years time. It slides into liquorice and cassis, extremely mineral and precise with clear limestone salinity, almost iodine. A yield of 14hl/ha. Drinking Window 2025 - 2042.

• 92 Wine Enthusiast

  From the vineyard above Château Pavie, this wine has great structure as well as solid black fruits. It is a rich wine, its juiciness balancing the spicy, smoky, licorice edge. Drink this wine from 2023. Vignobles Perse.