The 2006 Pavie, a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, is cropped low as the viticultural work is impeccable, the winemaking is thoroughly Burgundian in style, and bottling is accomplished with no fining or filtration. With over 90 acres in vine, this is one of the larger of the premier grand cru classes in St.-Emilion. A prodigious effort, the 2006 does not have the sucrosite of the 2005, 2003, or 2000, but it would not be embarrassed if tasted side by side with either of those two titans. A dense purple color as well as an extraordinary perfume of crushed black currants, licorice, wet stones, and subtle background oak are found in this tannic, dense, masculine-styled 2006. Backward and extraordinarily pure, it is built like a Manhattan skyscraper with exceptional focus, depth, texture, and length. It’s all here, but 5-10 years of patience will be warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Since 1998, no other Bordeaux estate except Ausone has had such a superlative record of quality. Pavie’s wines are usually among the top half-dozen in every vintage, including such challenging years as 2004, 2003, 2002, and 1999. Proprietor Gerard Perse’s flagship vineyard is situated on a gorgeous, south-facing slope possessing three distinct soil types, limestone, clay, and a sand/clay mixture.

Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #181 Feb 2009

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Pavie has a rich, generous, almost opaque bouquet with raspberry coulis, crushed strawberry, vanilla and melted tar, very well-defined and focused - perhaps more so than the 2006 Angelus? The palate is well balanced with fine tannin, a keen line of acidity, very harmonious in the mouth with black cherries, wild strawberry, citrus fruit, a touch of tar and tobacco developing towards the finish. It leans towards Cheval Blanc in style, but whatever its semblances, it remains a very well-crafted Saint Emilion with a long future ahead. Tasted January 2016.

Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 May 2016

Tasted at the Fine Wine Experience’s Pavie vertical. A clear deep garnet core. The nose is very intense with pure blackberry and cedar fruit, still a lot of oak to be subsumed into the wine but fine definition. Just a warmth of alcohol and then a touch of black olive with further aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with thick chewy tannins on the entry, very dense and backwards, enormous weight and concentration, a broad-shouldered sinewy Pavie that attacks from the front. At the moment, this has better delineation on the finish compared to the 2005 although nowhere near the same bravura or unashamed decadence. Tasted June 2010.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Sep 2011