Château Saint Georges Côte Pavie

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2020

This relatively under-the-radar St-Emilion estate has been owned by the same family since 1873. The majority of its vines lie on the prestigious clay-limestone slopes nestled between Château Pavie and Château La Gaffelière. Led by Philippe Masson since 2016, it has entered a dynamic new chapter with consultancy from Derenoncourt Vignerons Consultants' Hannah Fiegenschuh, plus a new vat room, operational from 2020, and the creation of a special 100% Merlot cuvée, Clos 1873. Given its location and consistent quality, this estate really deserves to be better known. Georgie Hindle: Beguiling nose. Plenty of grip but it’s stony and mineral, with a real creaminess. Such a lot going on. Joyful but still a compact, muscular wine with plenty of ageability. Arthur Coggill: Really inviting, with ripe Morello cherry, cedar and cumin spice. A racy little number, but you don’t notice it as the whole vehicle is so well tuned, with its perfectly engineered tannins. Tom King: Cherry and mulberry nose, delicate touches of leafy, woody character. Layers of flavour on a perfectly poised palate, suave tannin texture and a long finish.

A cool, refined red with blackberry, blueberry and crushed stone. Medium to full body. Racy finish. Very classy.

From a château that has been on the rise over the past decade, the 2020 Château Saint Georges (Côte Pavie) is based on 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged in just 30% new barrels, that comes from a gorgeous terroir on the Côte Pavie, just to the west of Château Pavie. Gorgeous red and black fruits, crushed stone, spring flowers, and hints of leather define the bulk of the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, with a deep, layered mid-palate, nicely integrated oak, and enough tannins to warrant a solid 5-7 years of bottle age. A gorgeous bottle of wine, it will have 20-25 years of overall longevity.