Emerging from pure limestone soils located just above Château Pavie, the 2004 Saint-Emilion offers up a classic Saint-Emilion bouquet of red and black currants, white truffle, tobacco, spring flowers, and obvious minerality. Beautifully balanced, full-bodied, and concentrated, it still has an undeniable sense of elegance and finesse, especially in its tannins. It's certainly mature and I don't see a huge upside to any additional cellaring, but it's going to continue evolving for another 15 years from cold cellars. Dec 2020

This small estate owned by Chantal and Gerard Perse (9 plus acres planted with 43-year-old vines) is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. In 2004, yields were a low 28-30 hectoliters per hectare, resulting in 400 cases being produced. The dense ruby/purple-colored 2004 offers smoky creme de cassis, kirsch liqueur, crushed rock, and spring flower aromas. Opulent, flamboyant, rich, dense, and lavishly endowed, it possesses enough fruit and glycerin to nearly conceal its elevated tannin. This wine should be at its finest between 2012-2025.

Red-ruby. Wild, expressive nose offers redcurrant, minerals, truffle and mocha. Supple, plump and tactile but with plenty of energy and shape thanks to the wine's mineral underpinning. This has real breadth and depth for the vintage. Finishes sexy and long, with broad, ripe tannins. I'd wait three or four years before starting on this one.

The wine seems to have developed quite rapidly over the past few years. The oak and tannins have melted into the wine, giving you loads of sweet, ripe, black cherry, plum, licorice and earth. Soft, round and open, the finish delivers its soft, sweet, dark red fruits with ease. Given how open this is today, I'd opt to finish my remaining bottles by the time the wine hits its 20th birthday. tasted Feb 2019

Shows bright, vivid aromas of crushed ripe strawberry, with hints of flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, with very fine tannins and a long, caressing finish. Refined. James Suckling