Château Pavie is an estate with 37 hectares of undivided vineyards with exceptional terroir that benefits from extraordinary sun exposure: due south. The vineyard can be divided into three clearly-identified terroirs:
- The limestone plateau, situated around 85 meters above the Dordogne. Profile: white lithic limestone (white limestone soil on "starfish limestone”).
- The hillside, situated around 55 meters above the Dordogne. Profile: finely-textured brown limestone on Fronsadais molasse (heavy clay-limestone soil).
- The foothills, situated around 35 meters above the Dordogne. Profile: colluvial brown limestone on non-limestone fluvial sands (clay-limestone soil at the bottom of the slope) and brown, large-grained soils (sandy clay).
This combination benefits from conditions that are extremely favorable to viticulture: naturally poor soil, excellent sunshine with its due southern exposure, natural drainage of the soil due to the slop, and the very little frost the vineyard receives due to the west wind. The vineyard is manually worked in its entirety. Château Pavie's team is out among the vines throughout the entire year. Great attention is given to green harvesting.
We always strive for optimal maturity. The grapes are hand-harvested and transported to the vat house in small crates for selection on double sorting tables.
This process consists of sacrificing a portion of each vine's grape bunches in order to improve the quality of those which remain. This operation leaves well-distributed bunches of superior quality on the vine with good air circulation and sun exposure to achieve even ripening. There is no doubt that good maturity is a major factor in a wine's quality.
65% Merlot – 25% Cabernet France – 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
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94 Points – Robert M. Parker Jr., “The Wine Advocate” (April 2010)
“Along with Lafite Rothschild, Ausone, and l’Eglise Clinet, Pavie is one of the wines of the vintage. An inky/purple color is accompanied by notes of creme de cassis, kirsch, graphite, and toast. A massive wine for the vintage, the 2007 Pavie is very full-bodied with extraordinary intensity, power, and richness. Its structure and tannin suggest 2-4 years of cellaring is required, and it should evolve for 25 years thereafter ,an unusually long aging curve for most 2007s. Yields were 25 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is a classic blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The natural alcohol level came in at 14%.”