Pavie St-Emilion 2009

100 points Robert Parker: "While the Perses may think the 2005 is the summit of winemaking at Pavie, this vintage certainly gives serious competition to both the 2005 and 2000. It is certainly the most opulent and luxuriously rich wine Pavie has ever made (and that is saying something). Pavie’s style of low yields, ripe fruit and serious extraction does produce, even in lighter vintages, a very concentrated and dense wine, but in the great years, the results are legendary. This wine has an inky purple color and a stunningly sweet, ripe nose of mulberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, licorice and incense. The oak still has some presence in the aromatics, as well as in the full-bodied, very concentrated, skyscraper-like mouthfeel and texture. This wine feels almost as if you could lose your palate in it, it is so dense and deep, yet at the same time it possesses silky tannins and rather remarkable purity, balance, and a good 60-second-plus finish. This is an amazing wine and probably will be drinkable in 5-10 years (although actually it could be drunk now because of the vintage’s voluptuous texture), and again, seems to have 50 or more years of longevity. It is clearly a modern Bordeaux legend. Drink: 2020-2075. (8/27/15)"

100 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Similar in style to the blockbuster 2005, the 2009 Pavie is another magical, legendary wine from the Perse family that tops out on my scale. Made from 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 80% new French oak, its saturated purple color is followed by a massive bouquet of blackcurrants, scorched earth, chocolate, graphite, and lead pencil, with an incredible sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, and remarkably concentrated and intense, it still stays perfectly balanced and weightless, with building yet sweet tannins. It’s still a baby yet is a magical drink today given its opulence, purity and balance. Drink this magical wine any time over the coming 50-60 years. (3/27/19)"

100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "Deep garnet with a touch of purple, the 2009 Pavie is quite closed to begin, needing a lot of shaking to bring out a powerful notes of blueberry pie, Black Forest cake, and cinnamon toast leading to a fragrant undercurrent of rose oil, licorice, and clove oil. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, with a firm frame of velvety tannins and fantastic tension framing the generous fruit, finishing with epic length and depth. It needs 5-7 years at least. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2028-2053. (12/13/23)"

99 points (19.5/20) La Revue du Vin de France: "Smoky wood, fleshy, velvety and fresh on the palate, with a long finish offering great finesse: these are the brilliant, luminous nuances unique to the 2009. (2014)"

98 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "Rich purple in colour, you really get the ink, liquorice and bitter dark chocolate notes here, all taken up a level and extremely well handled, with a super-attractive savoury lick that comes from the limestone soils. Pavie needs 10 years at an absolute minimum (except in 2003) to begin its conversation, and here we are starting to see what it can do. It's a very good wine that's powerful, concentrated, intense and ripe, but it has restraint and lift on the finish. It's not over-reaching, but rather very clearly marking its territory. It still needs longer to get there, but it's hard to argue with the construction of this wine, and to be totally honest I'm more impressed than I expected. Drinking Window: 2021-2044. (2/7/19)"

98 points James Suckling: "This is so structured and powerful with amazing depth of fruit and tannins. Blueberry and cherry aromas come through clear. The palate is full and powerful with chewy yet polished tannins and a long, long finish. Really impressive. Needs decanting, if you want to drink it now. One for the cellar. (1/21/19)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "Very showy, with loads of warm fig, boysenberry and raspberry confiture flavors coming in waves, showing maybe a hint of torrefaction along with melted licorice, warm ganache and fruitcake notes. There's a loamy hint through the finish, and a touch of graphite helps give this the spine it needs. Hard to deny the fruit here, though I lean toward the '10 for its cut and drive. -- Non-blind Pavie vertical. Best from 2020 through 2045. (5/11/17)"

97 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Still quite young, the wine is almost inky in color. The initial sniff brings on a strong aromatics of ripe, dark red, black and blue fruits, espresso beans, smoke, licorice, oyster shell and crushed rock. Powerful, dense and mouth-coating, the wine takes up a lot of room on your palate, coating your mouth with layers of fruit, tannin, oak and stones. Give this a decade to round out, soften and develop, and it could really offer a sublime tasting experience. (9/20/19)"

96 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2009 Pavie has a gorgeous bouquet, very pure and refined with seamlessly integrated oak and wonderful delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, perfectly judged acidity. Fine grip with compelling tension on the finish. This shimmers with energy. Easily, this is the best bottle that I have encountered over the years. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. Drink: 2022-2045. (Mar 2019)

96 points Falstaff: "Dark ruby, intense core, purple reflections and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, subtle toasted aromas, a nutty note, blackberries, nuances of cassis and liquorice, blackberry confit, a touch of oak savouriness and fine, ethereal nuances. Juicy, elegant, freshly structured and vivid on the palate, with powerful tannins that still need some time, pronounced fruit on the finish with hints of nougat and caramel. Great development with definite further ageing potential. (10/12/12)"