2016 Arômes de Pavie, St-Emilion

The second wine of Château Pavie is dense with dark tannins and superripe fruit. Bold and concentrated it still highlights the fruitiness of the vintage. Although it has big tannins and great potential, the wine also shows plenty of freshness. (RV)

This is 66% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, largely from the bottom of the slopes, although with some older Cabernet Franc from up on the plateau to boost the quality. The élevage was in 50% new oak and 50% second-fill barrels, for 20 months. Unlike the grand vin this is now in bottle, and has been since November 2018. I get dark chocolate cherry liqueur on the nose, with grilled blackcurrants and toast. The palate feels charming and polished, with a lovely dark fruit character, and a middleweight concentration, without too much oak overlay. There are some attractive, polished and tightly knit tannins, composed and playing a confident but supporting rather than lead role, the prime component being fruit. Quite elegant in a way, with a silky touch to it, a more restrained structure than the other Perse wines, with freshness and a nice potential. The finish is warm, spicy but it fades nicely without leaving a wall of tannin. Good.