The winery is located 1.5 kilometres south-east of the town of Saint-Émilion in the area of the same name (Bordeaux). The name Pavie is derived from the French term for vineyard peach. In the first edition of the work "Bordeaux et ses vins" by Cocks & Féret from 1850, Château Pavie is mentioned as the leading estate in the region. At that time, it belonged to the Talleman family and then to the wine merchant Ferdinand Bouffard. The latter increased the estate to a total of 50 hectares through acquisitions and inheritance. He consolidated the entire area under the name "Pavie", but named the wines from parcels on the plateau "Pavie-Decesse". After the First World War (1914-1918), Albert Porte took over the estate and sold it to Alexandre Valette in 1943. After his death in 1967, the estate was divided among several branches of the family.
Finally, in 1998, the wholesale chain owner Gérard Perse took over the estate for a rumoured 30.8 million US dollars. He had previously bought the Château La Clusière, Château Monbousquet and Château Pavie-Decesse wine estates. Large sums were invested in modernising the winery and the oenologist Michel Rolland was hired as a consultant. The Château La Clusière vineyards are located above the Pavie plot. These have also been incorporated into the Château Pavie wines since the 2002 vintage. In 2012, the estate was classified as Premier Grand Cru Classé A. The mostly steep vineyards cover 37 hectares of vines. They are planted with Merlot (60%), Cabernet Franc (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). The extremely long-lasting red wine is matured for 18 months in 100% new barriques.
Picture: Château Pavie / S.Chapuis
