2005 Chateau Pavie Saint Emilion Grand Cru
100 Points from Robert Parker: "Gérard Perse believes this is the greatest Pavie he’s made to date, although certainly I would argue that list includes the 2000, as well as the 2009 and 2010, among his superstars. This wine, which I had both in the 2005 horizontal report in the Wine Advocate, and at a mini-vertical with Perse at the restaurant Maison Boulud in Montreal, looks to be a 75- to 100-year wine. Dense, opaque purple to the rim, with a gorgeously promising nose of blackberries, cassis, graphite and cedar wood just beginning to emerge, it tastes more like a three-year-old than wine that is already a decade old. This beauty is intense and full-bodied, with magnificent concentration, a majestic mouthfeel and a total seamless integration of tannin, wood, alcohol, etc. Beautifully rich, full and multidimensional, this is a tour de force in winemaking and certainly one of the top dozen or so 2005 Bordeaux. Forget it for another 3-5 years and drink it over the following 50-100 years!" (8/27/2015)
100 Points from Jeb Dunnuck: "A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have many times, the 2005 Château Pavie is unquestionably one of the finest vintages from this Chateau, checking with the likes of the 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2020. I’d say just outside of its adolescent years, it’s still ruby/purple hued with incredible aromatics of ripe dark fruits, truffly earth, graphite, and leather. Possessing blockbuster richness, full body, velvety, seamless tannins, and no hard edges, this is quintessential Pavie all the way. Drink this magical elixir over the coming 15-20 years." (4/6/2024)
97 Points Vinous: "Six years have passed since I last tasted the 2005 Pavie. In that time, the wine has moved into its first plateau of maturity. Heady and explosive, the 2005 possesses tremendous richness right out of the gate. An infusion of inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, spice, menthol and espresso greets the palate as the 2005 shows off its considerable charms. The style of the era is evident in the wine's rich, extracted feel and strong oak inflections. My preference is to drink the 2005 now, as early signs of aromatic maturity are starting to set in. Tasted two times." (04/2021)
96 Points from Wine Spectator: "Shows a frankly roasted edge, with steeped fig and boysenberry fruit inlaid liberally with roasted apple wood and juniper notes. The structure is a touch austere, which leaves it standing a bit apart from the core of fruit. Very weighty in feel, this is layered and dense, but also more on the muscular, extracted side of the ledger. Perhaps this is in a tough phase today. Will certainly hang around for a while, so there's time to wait it out. But not quite in the class of the '10 or '03 for me. -- Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. 7,100 cases made." (5/11/2017)
2000