Bottled the week of January 16 (a week before I tasted it), the 2009 Pavie Decesse (from a tiny 9-acre vineyard on the limestone slopes above Pavie) is an uncommonly fat, succulent, rich, 1,000-case cuvee with 14.3% alcohol. It boasts an inky/blue/purple hue along with notes of incense, spring flowers, roasted espresso, chocolate, licorice, blackberries and blueberries. Even though it is aged in 100% oak, the wood is virtually non-existent. An inky blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the wine exhibits a flawless integration of acidity, alcohol and tannin. This opulent, viscous, thick, juicy St.-Emilion will be accessible in 5-7 years and last for three decades.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 29/02/2012 Bottled the week of January 16 (a week before I tasted it), the 2009 Pavie Decesse (from a tiny 9-acre vineyard on the limestone slopes above Pavie) is an uncommonly fat, succulent, rich, 1,000-case cuvee with 14.3% alcohol. It boasts an inky/blue/purple hue along with notes of incense, spring flowers, roasted espresso, chocolate, licorice, blackberries and blueberries. Even though it is aged in 100% oak, the wood is virtually non-existent. An inky blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the wine exhibits a flawless integration of acidity, alcohol and tannin. This opulent, viscous, thick, juicy St.-Emilion will be accessible in 5-7 years and last for three decades. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 27/04/2010 Gerard Perse’s tiny 9-acre vineyard has a high density of vines and lots of age on them as well (48 years on average) on pure limestone soils, with a southerly exposure. The final blend here is the classic 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Unfortunately, there are only 1,000 cases from the tiny yields, and the wine, by St.-Emilion standards, is actually not that high in alcohol – 14.3%. A sign of the terrific minerality this wine possesses, crushed rocks jump from the glass of this inky bluish/purple-colored wine. Opaque to the rim, with full-bodied power, a liqueur of rocks intermixed with creme de cassis, spring flowers, black cherry, incense, and virtually no evidence of any oak, alcohol or tannin, the wine is fat, viscous, and opulent. It is a remarkable treat to taste so young, but analytically, the index of tannins is the highest Perse has yet had, even eclipsing the 2005. This wine should drink well for 30-35 or more years. (Tasted four times.) (93-96)

Saturated ruby. Red and black fruit aromas complicated by graham cracker, violet and pungent minerality. Plush, broad and seamless but at the same time energetic and light on its feet, thanks to the lift from calcaire . Despite carrying rich flavors of chocolate, mocha and almost liqueur-like dark berries, this wine shows no mid-palate heaviness. Wonderfully deep, rich, chewy Saint-Emilion with outstanding stony persistence. Like the Pavie, this has a long life ahead of it.

(a 90/10 blend of merlot and cabernet franc, cropped at 26 hectoliters per hectare; 14.5% alcohol; 80% new oak) Deep ruby-purple. Wonderfully ethereal nose hints at blackcurrant, violet and flinty minerals. Enters smooth and suave, showing ripe but not exaggerated flavors of dark plum, blackberry syrup and dried herbs. Finishes impressively subtle and very long, with fine-grained tannins, lingering red berry flavor and a whisper of warmth. Made from 48-year-old vines, this appears to be a great Pavie Decesse in the making.

Tasted at Chateau Pavie. Picked on 12th October at 26hl/ha, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this has a ripe, exotic bouquet lacquered in creamy new oak: macerated black cherries, creme de cassis, black plum and damson jam. Moderate definition. The palate is full-bodied with dense but well balanced tannins, showing more harmony and focus than the Monbousquet, the tannins less aggressive at this stage, although the mouth is still lacquered on the finish. Fine. Tasted March 2010.

[90M/10CF] Raisiny ripe fruit to smell, not unpleasant, but lacking 'sap / juice / moisture'; full bodied, concentrated in its own odd way, firmly, drily, woodily tannic; a bitter ripe flavour here, a clear purity and even a delicacy of fruit at its at its heart, but very dried by a marked new wood astringency; leaving one's gums stripped of lubricant, and a dry astringency as the final impression, rather than a refreshing, beverage juiciness of fruit. No idea when this will mellow - if ever. Not for me. 2020+