Château Pavie Decesse

The history of Pavie Decesse is inseparable from that of Pavie. Located on the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau, the former was an integral part of the latter until the end of the 19th century, when Ferdinand Bouffard, owner of Pavie since 1885, decided to separate a few plots into an autonomous vineyard, which he then named Pavie Decesse.
At the end of the First World War, Ferdinand Bouffard was forced to sell the cru to a certain Monsieur Marzelle, under whose administration the château was distinguished, in the 1954 classification, as a Grand Cru Classé.
In 1970, on the death of Monsieur Marzelle, the Valette family, already owners of Château Pavie, were entrusted with the management of the Pavie Decesse vineyard, and acquired it in 1990. In 1997 Gérard Perse took possession of the estate.
As he has done for his other Saint-Émilion properties, Gérard Perse spares no effort. The buildings, in particular, have been completely restored and the residence houses, on the ground floor, wooden vinification vats that are exact replicas of those used at Pavie. The barrel cellar, for its part, has regained its original architecture, as it was skilfully designed by Ferdinand Bouffard.
It must be said that although Pavie and Pavie Decesse, in its new configuration, form a vineyard in a single block, they nonetheless remain specific wine-growing entities, each with a terroir of well-defined characteristics.
Pavie Decesse is located solely and entirely on the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau. On these soils, which also contain clay, Merlot finds a very fine expression. The Asteries limestone brings many elements of freshness, with floral and mineral notes, while the clay gives it fine structure. The vineyard, well aired and ventilated, is therefore essentially planted with Merlot.
This terroir thus gives birth to a rich, ample, fleshy and complex wine, with a fine tannic structure and excellent ageing ability, very typical of the production of the plateau.