Everything you’d expect from Saint-Émilion’s limestone slopes, but with an easy confidence all its own. The 2016 Esprit de Pavie brims with ripe blackberry, black cherry and plum, wrapped in notes of espresso, cedar and a faint whisper of crushed stone. The palate is plush yet precise with silky Merlot fruit gliding over fine-grained tannins, lifted by a fresh, chalky edge. It’s generous, balanced and effortlessly drinkable, capturing the Pavie spirit in a more approachable, weekday-luxury form.

For when: the table’s set but no one wants to wait for decanting.
Pairs with: roast lamb, rib-eye steak or a rich mushroom cassoulet.
If this wine were: a friend, it’d be the charming younger sibling who’s got impeccable taste and knows it.

Château Pavie, elevated to Premier Grand Cru Classé A status in 2012, sits on the sun-baked limestone terraces of Saint-Émilion’s southeastern plateau, a patchwork of clay, chalk and stone that produces wines of formidable depth and minerality. Owned by Gérard Perse since 1998, the estate has been meticulously modernised from vineyard to cellar, with an unrelenting focus on precision, ripeness and elegance.

Esprit de Pavie is the broader expression of this philosophy sourced from younger vines and neighbouring Right-Bank parcels sharing Pavie’s terroir signature. Predominantly Merlot, with supporting Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s aged in fine French oak to bring polish without weight. The 2016 vintage, celebrated for its poise and perfect ripeness, delivers a supple, beautifully balanced rendition of Pavie’s style: opulent fruit, fine structure, and an unmistakable sense of place.