(98+ points) Bottled under a black label to celebrate Pavie’s addition to the Grand Cru Classé “A” classification, the 2012 Chateau Pavie is a brilliant wine, and readers with bottles in their cellars are in for a treat. From a bottle purchased in the US, this deep purple-hued beauty takes plenty of air (it showed best the day after opening) to show at its best yet offers incredible notes of blackcurrants, blackberries, scorched earth, graphite, leafy herbs, violets, and background oak. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it nevertheless has incredible elegance and purity, with loads of silky tannins, terrific freshness, and a blockbuster finish. I continue to believe 2012 was a great, great vintage for the Right Bank, and this just adds fuel to the fire. This beauty is approachable today yet will mostly likely merit a triple-digit rating in 5-7 years and will keep for 30-40 years, given its impeccable balance and depth of fruit.

Silky tannins, pure fruits, rocks and stone with licorice and fresh cherries are all over the place. There is richness here, but it is a bit subdued from other, riper, more powerful vintages, which might end up being a very good thing. 96 Points Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/search-wine-tasting-notes/?szSearch=2012%20Pavie

Deep garnet in color, the 2012 Pavie prances out of the glass with showy notes of kirsch, black raspberries, and juicy black plums plus touches of lavender, pencil lead, and rose oil. The medium to full-bodied palate is lively and refreshing, with soft, satiny tannins and bags of bright red and black fruits, finishing with a lingering floral lift. This was the first vintage as a 1er GCC A, with a special black and silver label, and the first vintage with 25% Cabernet Franc. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

(94–96 points) Barrel sample. This is a powerful wine which exhibits a change in style towards elegance in recent years. The palate has delicious Merlot fruitiness along with black-currant acidity and a dense structure. Fine minerality at the end with juicy acidity. ROGER VOSS

The 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Class A St.-Emilion by sporting a new black label with gold print. Fortunately, every Pavie has benefitted since Perse began a complete makeover of this estate in 1998. From 47-year-old vines, the 2012 has an inky purple color, judicious toasty oak in the nose interwoven with copious blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich and moderately tannic, it will require 5-7 years of bottle age but should drink well for 20-30 years. Kudos to Chantal and Gerard Perse for their extraordinary commitment to quality, which is so evident in this more challenging vintage than some of the great years like 2009 and 2010. Very low yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare were obtained from this 92-acre estate. - Robert M. Parker, Jr.

This pulls out all the stops, with lush boysenberry confiture, warm plum sauce and blueberry reduction notes seamlessly intertwined with licorice snap, roasted apple wood and fruitcake flavors. A terrific bolt of graphite courses through the finish, producing impressive length and cut. A lot of spinning plates here, but the elements stay balanced. Best from 2018 through 2030. From France. — J.M.

Open nose of bramble jelly with a glaze of toasty aromas. Both quite rich and well-structured with plenty of fine tannin and pronounced earthiness on the generous palate. Very focused, long finish with energy, suggesting that this has many years ahead of it. An excellent 2012! Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.

Pavie is a wine that it really isn't worth approaching before the 10 year window - not just because under its then-regime, everything was turned up to the max, but because this is a powerful terroir that delivers muscular wines. It's beginning to relax, if displaying waves of gunsmoke and rubber reduction aromatics at first. Once it unwinds in the glass, you get grilled sandalwood and cloves alongside liqourice bud, black cherry, raspberry and cassis fruits. The limestone influence with its mouthwatering salinity and saffron is kicking in and this has character and tension. First vintage as a Premier Grand Cru Classé B, following the promotion of that year (and as things stand the only one left). 80% new oak, 28hl/h yield.

The 2012 Pavie has a lovely bouquet, one of the best on the Right Bank, with gorgeous brambly red fruit, fig and black truffle, developing a Left Bank like personality with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a vibrant entry, nicely poise and focused, touches of pencil lead threaded through the red fruit with a nicely structured finish. Very seductive. Tasted twice at Bordeaux Index's Ten Year-On tasting and blind at the Southwold Ten-Year On tasting. -- Neal Martin