This is really exceptional with such freshness, firmness and focus. Full body, incredibly tight tannins and a lengthy finish. Such power and elegance at the same time. The beginning of a new era of Pavie.

Standout quality in an exceptional vintage for Bordeaux, still an absolute baby. Expect a slab of liquorice and chocolate, with an expertly-judged slash of acidity that adds tension and cuts through the opulence of the black cherry, cassis, cigar box, liquorice and kirsch. Intense smoke emerges as it opens, coiled and ready to take it further over the next decade. It's a big wine, not taking any prisoners even at 15 years old, but it is sculpted, chiselled, mouthwatering, and will continue to age for decades - I suggest putting this back in the cellar for now. 80% new oak, brought down from 100% as of the 2006 vintage. Gerard Perse owner, Michel Rolland consultant, Jean-Baptiste Pion winemaker.

Bright rose petals and dark fruit with hints of liquorice and tobacco. Smooth, sumptuous and heady, this feels both romantic and powerful. Massy tannins are softened by layers of strawberry and cherry, with salty, wet-stone edges and chalky grip. Cinnamon and clove add spice and lift. Excellent freshness, razor-sharp definition, ripe and structured.

Quality 982 | Brand 965 | Economics 965 | buzz brand, investment staple
Quality: Above the average quality score of its peer group for the 2010 vintage, 889 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 £206 for the 2010 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 46,409 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

An immense wine, with tiers of roasted fig, boysenberry confiture, warm plum sauce, Black Forest cake and raspberry ganache that flow authoritatively, while a terrific graphite underpinning provides support. The explosive finish is framed by roasted apple wood and licorice snap notes. Shows terrific muscle, but the purity and minerality is there as well. Needs time. Best from 2020 through 2040. 7,083 cases made.

– James Molesworth (WineSpectator.com, Web Only 2015)

Along with several other Medoc first-growths as well as Ausone in St.-Emilion and possibly Petrus and Lafleur in Pomerol, few estates have such a record for consistent quality as Gerard Perse’s Chateau Pavie. Made from a classic blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2010 was cropped at a ridiculously low 26 hectoliters per hectare, and the harvest occurred between October 12 and 19. Surprisingly, the alcohol is only 14.2% which is actually less than the 2008 and 2009. Since Perse acquired this estate in 1998, most Pavies have possessed off the charts richness and the 2010 is no different. It also reveals an opaque purple color, abundant notes of roasted coffee, blackberries, cassis, full-bodied power and sensational density, texture and length. There is also a boatload of tannin, so do not expect this 2010 to provide near-term consumption. Somewhat reminiscent of the 2005 in its freshness, precision and intensity, it requires 7-10 years of cellaring and should keep for 3-4 decades thereafter. I had this wine on four separate occasions and would rank it slightly behind the 2000, 2005 and 2009.

(14.5% alcohol; 70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon): Saturated, deep ruby-red. High-toned, superripe aromas of black raspberry, cassis and caramel. Then dense, velvety and huge in the mouth, with great power and chew to the thick flavors of cassis, raspberry and crushed chalk. This improbably thick wine boasts terrific sweetness but its huge, building tannins will need a good decade of cellaring to harmonize. Interestingly, Gerard Perse picked this fruit in mid-October, yet the wine has been even higher in alcohol in some recent vintages.

(a blend of 70% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon; 28 hectoliters per hectare; 14.5% alcohol) Very deep, opaque purple. Aromas of plum jelly, cassis, truffle and underbrush on the flamboyant, exotic nose and palate. A very pure Pavie, with enough acidity to carry the ripe fruit flavors through a long finish. Tannins are substantial and chewy but not dry, although one other sample I tried was marred by astringent tannins. This should age effortlessly.

The 2010 Pavie is a vintage that I have not encountered since just after bottling. It is very deep in colour, offering intense aromas of blackberry, graphite and cassis on the nose that, like the 2000, is very Pavie. There is something a bit more tertiary about the 2010, a little less polished perhaps. The palate has a huge structure, a behemoth with firm tannin, dense black fruit, all redeemed by fine tension that is threaded from start to finish. As I remarked when I tasted the 2010 from barrel, it is a long-term wine that will require 15 to 20 years in bottle. I have no reason to change that view.

(28hl/ha, 14.5%, 80% New) [70M/20CF/10CS] Raisiny ripe to smell, with hints of a fine eau de vie; concentrated, vigorous, tannic wine; plenty of delicate fruit at its heart, long sweet, complex, racy and refined; plenty of mouthcoating aroma, with the underlying minerality also there but rather overwhelmed by the level of ripeness; very well sustained flavour and with a fine fragrance and persistence on the finish. Neither heavy nor fierce, and with an attractive freshness to it, but I just wish the texture were more amenable, friendly, malleable - refined. Otherwise great class, finesse, length, delicacy. Probably needs 15 years. 2025-40+ [M.Schuster, Bordeaux Mar/Apr 2011]

Tasted blind. Very deep opaque garnet. Smells quite reductive/charry but it is quite withdrawn on the nose. Deep, rich and chewy. Lots of chocolate here but good freshness and lovely core of fruit, even if the fruit is just slightly raisined. Generous, rich but not fat. Chewy as the tannins build. Needs more time. (JH)

70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 24 months in oak (80% new).  Very high tannic grip, bitter and savoury with layers of aniseed, medicinal flavours, savoury black fruit, olive and oak spice. Incredibly dominant tannins, giving a rasping drying finish. Still not ready, even at 15 years old. The score reflects its awkwardness now; the plus signs represent its potential. (RH)

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Pavie delivers tantalizing suggestions of candied violets, star anise and tapenade over a core of prunes, blueberry compote, Morello cherries and fruitcake with touches of underbrush and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, rich and exotically opulent, the palate has a rock-solid texture of velvety tannins and bold freshness supporting the generous palate of black and blue berry preserves, finishing long and fragrant.

Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Pavie delivers tantalizing suggestions of candied violets, star anise and tapenade over a core of prunes, blueberry compote, Morello cherries and fruitcake with touches of underbrush and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, rich and exotically opulent, the palate has a rock-solid texture of velvety tannins and bold freshness supporting the generous palate of black and blue berry preserves, finishing long and fragrant. LPB

What fun, excitement and joy it will be to compare the four perfect wines Perse has made in 2005, 2009, 2010 and, of course, the 2000, in 25 or so years. This wine is truly profound Bordeaux. Everything is in place – remarkable concentration and a beautiful nose of cedar and ripe blackcurrant and blackberry with some kirsch and spice box in the background. Lavishly rich, with slightly more structure and delineation than the more Rabelaisian 2009, this wine does show some serious tannins in the finish, and comes across as incredibly youthful. Of course, it's five years old, but it tastes more like a just-bottled barrel sample than a 2010. In any event, this wine is set for a long, long life and should be forgotten for at least another decade. Consume it over the following 75 or more years.

Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #220, Aug 2015)

Opaque garnet-black in color, the 2010 wows as it erupts from the glass with explosive notes of plum preserves, baked cherries, and creme de cassis leading to hints of sandalwood, tree bark, menthol, and Chinese five spice. The full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves and exotic spices supported by ripe, rounded tannins and amazing tension, with lingering anise and mineral notes on the incredibly long finish. It is delicious now, but will be better with 5-7 more years in bottle. Lisa Perrotti-Brown Dec 2023 - The Wine Independent

The 2010 Château Pavie is straight-up magical, and while it matches the 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2015, it has a style all its own. (It’s probably most similar to the 2005, yet even more tannic and backward.) Checking in as blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon from tiny yields of 26 hectoliters per hectare, it’s still ruby/plum-colored and has a powerful, inward bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked earth, graphite, chocolate, and white truffle. Deep, powerful, and massive on the palate, yet also incredibly delineated and focused, it’s shed just a touch of the baby fat it had in its youth and still needs another 4-5 years to hit prime time. Given its depth of fruit, flawless balance, and both purity and freshness, it’s going to be a 75- to 100-year wine.