60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon

Neal Martin: 95, James Suckling: 97

Neal Martin: The 2017 Pavie is deep in colour, lucid in the glass. The bouquet demands a lot of coaxing before revealing scents of black cherries, blueberry, hints of cassis and crushed violet petals. It is powerful on the nose but I appreciate the contribution of the increased proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, imparting cedar and pencil box tones. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins. This is a well-built, an almost stocky Pavie with firm backbone, again, courtesy of the Cabernet, lightly spiced. A persistent finish fans out in superb fashion. It remains a "luxuriant" Pavie but one that is endowed more intellect than some recent vintages.