This is a stunner, with the warmth of the vintage marrying ideally with the relative coolness of the terroir to deliver a wide range of vivid plum, boysenberry, raspberry and cherry paste flavors that have energy and drive, carried by a long graphite note and backed by a roasted apple wood accent that has been fully absorbed. Powerfully ripe, but not heady, with a sense of poise through the finish. A jaw-dropper.—Non-blind Pavie vertical (March 2017). Best from 2020 through 2040. JM

This controversial wine is fresh and bright still, unlike many of the overrated 2003s. Full-bodied, tight and polished with beautiful intensity and verve. Blackberry and sweet tobacco. Wet earth. Subtle and complex. Straight and direct. Drink or hold. Jan 2019

Certainly this was a wine born under considerable controversy, receiving accolades and kudos from me and several of my American colleagues, but generally excoriated by the British press. The French wine critics were very positive. This wine has calmed down considerably as it was a blockbuster, somewhat of a Bordeaux fruit bomb in its youth, and now has toned itself down to a serious candidate for one of the wines of this rather bizarre, but interesting, vintage. 2003 offered everything, from pathetically dilute and thin wines to some massive blockbusters. That was true especially in the Northern Médoc and from the limestone hillsides of St.-Emilion (where Pavie is situated). The color is a dark garnet, with a touch of amber beginning to appear on the edge. The wine has a stunning nose of roasted herbs, grilled meats, charcoal, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, with some oak still present. Dense, full-bodied and very succulent and lush, this wine seems to be in late adolescence, ready to enter a relatively mature stage. There is always a suspicion because of the extreme heat in July and August that these wines will crack up very quickly, and certainly that will always be a worry, but this one looks set for at least another 10-15 years of drinkability.Drink: 2015 - 2030.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #220, Aug 2015)

The 2003 Pavie is deep garnet with a touch of brick. It needs a fair bit of swirling to unlock evocative scents of kirsch, blackberry preserves, and plum pudding leading to suggestions of anise, fragrant soil, cigar box, and incense. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with black and red berry preserves layers, framed by firm yet velvety tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and minerally. Lisa Perrotti-Brown Dec 2023 - The Wine Independent

Drinking in its sweet spot, with its blend of crushed rocks, salt, dark red fruits, flowers, wet earth, and bushels of red and black blue fruits, the wine is rich, full-bodied, lush, but not hot, jammy, or out of balance. Popped and poured, this is simply delicious from start to finish. Drink from 2023-2035. Tasted Feb 2023

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. I must confess that this nose is disappointing. Compared against Clos Fourtet, it comes across as a little ersatz with superficial raisin, stewed fig and kirsch aromas, leaning towards the New World. The palate is medium-bodied and displays good volume, filling the mouth with ease and there is clearly more depth than its peers. However, there is an ineluctable monotony about this wine that is bereft of the delineation and tension, the complexity and personality that makes say, the 2000 Pavie so entrancing. It is not a bad Saint Emilion by a long straw, but to put it bluntly...it’s a bit boring. Tasted March 2013.

– eRobertParker.com, May 2013

Quality 587 | Brand 965 | Economics 949 | buzz brand
Quality: The 2003 vintage divides the critics, with a highest score of 18 from Bettane + Desseauve and a lowest of 12 from Jancis Robinson Brand: We found this wine on 20 of the world's top restaurant wine lists, including Helene Darroze at the Connaught Economics: Above its peer group average price of £137 for the 2003 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 46,409 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017