60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon

Robert Parker: 95, Neal Martin: 95

Robert Parker: 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 Gaffeliére 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.