Château Pavie Decesse is a St. Emilion Grand Cru Classé property in the Côtes sub-district, considered the equal of its illustrious neighbour, Chateau Pavie. The origins of both can be traced back to ancient Roman times. The 3.5ha vineyard, on chalky, limestone and clay soils and contiguous with Pavie, is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Following cold maceration, the Chateau wine is vinified in temperature-controlled oak vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels. The wine is aged in 80% new oak for between 18 and 24 months, depending on vintage character. Production is small, around 650 dozen each year. The hedonistic Pavie Decesse style combines opulent, rich, sensuous textures with minerality, freshness and concentration. Due to its lush style Pavie Decesse drinks well young, yet does develop additional complexity with time in the cellar. Wine quality has been consistently excellent under the ownership, since 1997, of Gerard and Chantal Perse.

A very high, cold, rocky, late-ripening site, Montrevenots is at the top of the hill on the Pommard boundary above Clos des Mouches. It’s a south-facing slope, which mitigates the altitude to some extent. The white clay and limestone soils tend to deliver bright, red fruit notes, raciness and fine, powdery structure. It’s a tiny cuvée at this stage, cropped from just one-tenth of the domaine’s 1.4 hectares. This is because Jobard is replanting most of this site with mass-selection cuttings. Joabrd’s parcel was historically known as the Clos des Montrevenots. The vines that produced the wine are 45 years old and, again, all the bunches were destemmed and given a one-week cold soak before fermentation. There was very little new oak, and the wine was bottled after 12 months on lees. It’s a wonderfully sexy, flowing Beaune with crushed red and blue fruits and striking purity. A bargain!