Château Pabus

Tasting Note by Andreas Larsson

Andreas Larsson, Best Sommerlier of the World 2007, provides his review of the Château Pabus 2018.

Fermentation and Ageing in French Oak Casks

The grapes are hand-picked, destalked, and deposited directly in 500-litre oak casks and stainless-steel tanks.

The vinification is entirely natural. The best tannins are gently extracted by regularly rotating the casks to keep the grape juice percolating through the cap. Temperatures in the vathouse are regulated to keep fermentation continuously under control.

The 500-litre casks are emptied into 225-litre casks made of French oak (30% new) in which the wine ages for 18 months.

When the first fermentation and soaking is over, the wine is emptied into 225-litre casks made of French oak (30% new oak) and amphora. The wine is aged in these small oak casks (80%) and amphora (20%) for 18 months. 

Taste this wine and feel it open its heart, displaying density on the palate and very elegant tannins.

Vintages

2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016

Harvest

The Merlot harvest began September 24th. Picking ended in the first week of October. Initial tastings suggest an outstanding vintage. Wines best enjoyed young are wonderfully balanced, while those with good ageing potential will develop beautifully.

Tasting Notes

90-91/100 – James Suckling – Blueberries and black cherries, licorice and violets. Medium-bodied with firm, lightly chewy tannins and pretty intensity and flavors. Pure fruit.

89-91/100 – Jeb Dunnuck – Lots or ripe red and black fruits, licorice, and scorched earth notes emerge from the 2020 Château Pabus, which is medium to full-bodied and has a dense, chewy mid-palate, followed by a good finish. It should be a solid wine.

89-91/100 – Yves Beck – Purplish purple. What finesse and elegance in this bouquet where fruit, freshness and breeding form a good symbiosis. On the palate, Pabus already shows a lot of balance and reflects well the freshness noticed on the nose. It is slender, racy and endowed with fine-grained tannins that ensure the backbone. Fruity finish, with good persistence. A well typed Bordeaux that can be appreciated in its youth but one can forget a few bottles in the cellar. Nice regularity during the last years.

 90-91/100 – Terre de vins – Very ripe nose, on a solar register, evoking the black fruit with brandy and a slightly alcoholic touch. The mouth is ample, spherical, signed by a nice chewiness, fatness, sweetness and unctuousness. A comfortable and pleasant wine that would gain in length.

88-90/100 – Jeff Leve – Dark, juicy, fruity, rich and plush, the wine is forward, ripe and already quite easy to drink.

90/100 – Markus del Monego – Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Ripe blackberries and floral hints, discreet spiciness in the nose, on the palate medium bodied, well structured with firm yet ripe tannins, juicy fruit, freshness and good length.

89-90/100 – Vert de vin – The nose is fruity with fine concentration and good definition. Juicy/ripe black currant, blue berry and slightly fleshy/crushed raspberry notes are combined with hints of violet, lily and hints of racy minerality, vanilla flowers and sweet spices. The palate is fruity and offers juiciness, a certain minerality and a fine acidic frame. On the palate this wine expresses juicy/acidic blackberry, pulpy/juicy black currant and more lightly tart/fresh raspberry notes combined with hints of berries, violet, racy minerality as well as fine tonka bean, toasty and a hint of toasted hazelnut (in the background).

88-90/100 – Vinous (Neal Martin) – The 2020 Pabus has a classic Bordeaux nose of blackberry, tobacco and cedar, quite intense and well defined. The medium-bodied palate shows grainy tannins and crisp acidity. Saline in the mouth, with good depth on the finish. Give it a year in bottle and then enjoy.

89-91/100 – Vinous (Antonio Galloni) – The 2020 Pabus is soft, creamy and super-appealing right out of the gate. Silky tannins wrap around a core of plush red/purplish fruit, spice, blood orange and cinnamon. A wine of nuance and distinction, Pabus has so much to offer. More than anything else, it is a wine of total charm and seduction. The supple style works well, but there is good energy too.

89/100 – Andreas Larsson – Classically built with pure fruit, discreet oak, plum and red berry notes with ginger and pepper. Medium weight, youthful but balanced extract and rather long finale.

89/100 – Livets Goda – Classically built with clean fruit, subtle oak, plum and red barnyard notes with ginger and pepper. Medium weight, youthful but balanced finish and quite long.

Harvest

Under the best conditions, the Merlot grape harvest started September 18th, a good sign for Château Pabus. The spread to the whole vineyard happened from September 25 to 30, providing a high-quality vintage with promising potential. Still young, the red Château Pabus is smooth, well balanced, and low in alcohol. The fine structure guarantees a good ageing potential. The wine also boasts a magnificent deep red colour.

Tasting Notes

90-91/100 – James Suckling – An attractive, juicy young red wine with dark fruit and chocolate powder. Medium body and round, curtailed tannins.

89-91/100 – Jeb Dunnuck – Black raspberries, graphite, and cassis all emerge from the 2019 Château Pabus, a medium-bodied, nicely textured, balanced 2019 that shows the quality of the vintage. It’s going to keep for at least a decade and my money is on it being a smoking value.

90-92/100 – Jeff Leve – Lush, round, plush and loaded with layers of sweet, ripe, fresh fruits. The fruits are ripe, the tannins are soft and the juicy, plummy, chocolate finish carries it all through quite nicely

90/100 – Markus del Monego – Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Aromatic nose reminiscent of dark chocolate and roasted coffee, backed by juicy fruit, blackberries, sweet elderberries and black cherries. Opens up very well with some oxygen contact. On the palate well-structured with firm yet ripe tannins, juicy and concentrated fruit, elegant spiciness and a certain depth. A very promising wine.

88-89/100 – Vert de vin – The nose is fresh, fruity and offers a little concentration as well as a fine power. There are notes of wild blackcurrant, wild blackberry and slightly wild raspberry combined with hints of crushed blueberry, fleshy wild strawberry as well as hints of lilac, licorice stick, pepper and sweet spices. The palate is fruity, balanced and offers a juicy/finely acidic frame, good definition, juiciness as well as greediness, tension, a little straightness and a fine acidic frame. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy blackcurrant, fleshy strawberry and more lightly juicy/finely acidic small wild red berries combined with hints of crisp/juicy violet plum, violet as well as fine chocolate and almond flavors. Good length. The tannins are structuring and very fine.

Harvest

The quality of the Merlot variety was excellent for the 2018 vintage. Pickers were able to harvest the grapes at optimum ripeness, enabling each variety to reveal its full potential. The harvest began on the 27th of September for the most ripening Merlot. The 2018 has all the qualities of a great vintage, with a brilliant colour, notes of ripe fruit and beautiful concentration.

Tasting Notes

91–92/100 – James Suckling – A very pretty wine for the appellation with blueberry and raspberry character. Hints of dark chocolate, too. Medium to full body, silky tannins and a flavourful finish. Serious potential for the appellation.

89/100 – Yves Beck – The vineyard of Pabus dates from the 19th century and covers an area of 6.47ha. In 2018, the yield reached 45 hl/ha. Aged in sandstone and terracotta barrels and jars for 16 months. The owner, Robert S. Dow, was a member of the U.S. fencing team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Filigree, subtly fruity bouquet, also revealing chalky and floral notes. On the palate the wine is slender, balanced and well supported by its tannins. The latter have a fine grain and ensure the back end well: fruity and refreshing finish. 2023–2035

88/100 – Wine Advocate (Lisa Perotti-Brown) – Deep garnet-purple colour, the 2018 Pabus opens with a cedar and mocha-laced nose, giving way to a fruit core of plum preserves and blackberry compote, plus hints of dried Provence herbs and tobacco leaf. The medium to full-bodied palate has a lovely plush texture and well-played freshness supporting the juicy black fruits, finishing with a peppery kick.

The 2018 Pabus is bursting at the seams with blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, new leather, tobacco and cedar. I would prefer to drink this racy, exuberant red over the next handful of years, while it retains its youthful juiciness.

89-90/100 – Bettane & Desseauve – Juicy, crisp and fresh tannins are already very charming. The wine is already very expressive.

91/100 – Jeb Dunnuck – Deeply coloured, with impressive red, blue, and black fruits as well as cedar herbs, earth, and tobacco notes, the 2018 Château Pabus is medium-bodied and has a rich, mouth-filling, chewy texture, ripe tannins, and outstanding length. This rock-solid, impressive Bordeaux Supérieur can be enjoyed any time over the coming decade or longer.

92/100 – Terre de Vins – Very elegant in the restraint, this wine with very beautiful black fruit, ripe and clean, displays a structure in which the tannins are in the foreground: those of the fruit, marked but in the velvet; those of the wood, framed without drying out. The matter offers a very beautiful depth for a successful balance between generosity and finesse.

90/100 – Christer Byklum – Ruby. Blackberries, blueberries, light-scented notes, some vanilla, elegant nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, dark fruity, some spices, anise, blackberries firmer finish. Long. Needs time to swallow the wood.

90/100 – Vinous (Antonio Galloni) – The 2018 Pabus is bursting at the seams with blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, new leather, tobacco and cedar. I would prefer to drink this racy, exuberant red over the next handful of years, while it retains its youthful juiciness.

Harvest

Harvest started September 13th with Merlot. This year’s Merlot display a nice fruity expression along with lots of freshness. The wines with elegant tannins – are round and balanced. A lovely, delightful vintage, built on suppleness.

Tasting Notes

89 – 91/100 – Yves Beck – Purplish purple. Pleasant bouquet, of good intensity, combining fruity notes and barrel ageing. Morello cherry and black pepper aromas. Elegant character in the mouth. The wine is balanced thanks to a good harmony between tannins and structure. A sapid, fresh wine that can certainly be enjoyed in its youth but which also has good ageing potential. 2023–2034

90–91/100 – James Suckling – An attractive, juicy young red with dark fruit and chocolate powder. Medium body and round curtailed tannins.

 89–91/100 – Vinous – The 2019 Pabus has a rather garish bouquet that feels just a little over the top and trying to show off, tinned prune notes filtering through the black fruit. The palate is better, the layered black cherries and blueberry fruit is framed by saturated tannins displaying satisfactory freshness on the finish. Hopefully, the aromatics will just learn some restraint by the time of bottling.

89–91/100 – Jeb Dunnuck – Black raspberries, graphite, and cassis all emerge from the 2019 Château Pabus, a medium-bodied, nicely textured, balanced 2019 that shows the quality of the vintage. It’s going to keep for at least a decade and my money is on it being a smoking value.

90–92/100 – Jeff Leve – Lush, round, plush and loaded with layers of sweet, ripe, fresh fruits. The fruits are ripe, the tannins are soft and the juicy, plummy, chocolate finish carries it all through quite nicely.

90/100 – Markus del Monego – Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Aromatic nose reminiscent of dark chocolate and roasted coffee, backed by juicy fruit, blackberries, sweet elderberries and black cherries. Opens up very well with some oxygen contact. On the palate well structured with firm yet ripe tannins, juicy and concentrated fruit, elegant spiciness and a certain depth. A very promising wine.

88–89/100 – Vert de vin – The nose is fresh, fruity and offers a little concentration as well as a fine power. There are notes of wild blackcurrant, wild blackberry and slightly wild raspberry combined with hints of crushed blueberry, fleshy wild strawberry as well as hints of lilac, liquorice stick, pepper and sweet spices. The palate is fruity, balanced and offers a juicy/finely acidic frame, good definition, juiciness as well as greediness, tension, a little straightness and a fine acidic frame. On the palate this wine expresses notes of fleshy/juicy blackcurrant, fleshy strawberry and more lightly juicy/finely acidic small wild red berries combined with hints of crisp/juicy violet plum, violet as well as fine chocolate and almond flavours. Good length. The tannins are structuring and very fine.

91–92/100 – James Suckling – A very pretty wine for the appellation with blueberry and raspberry character. Hints of dark chocolate, too. Medium to full body, silky tannins and a flavourful finish. Serious potential for the appellation.

Harvest

2016 has an exceptional grape quality, crisp, fruit and fresh at the same time, with intense aromas of blackberry for deep-coloured wines with round tannins.

The harvest started September 23rd with sunny conditions, presenting a ‘very Bordeaux’ vintage. All of the young wines are already showing signs of excellent development.

Tasting Notes

89-91/100 – Robert Parker Jr. and Neal Martin – The 2016 Pabus has a very well-defined bouquet of pure black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, the oak here seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy saturated tannin, grippy in the mouth yet with the tension and silkiness that leaves you smitten. Let’s hope this Bordeaux Supérieur can replicate this form in bottle.

88-89/100 – James Suckling – A tangy and fresh red with berry and chocolate character. Medium body and a firm finish.

90/100 – Jeb Dunnuck – Another charming wine in the vintage, the 2016 Château Pabus reveals a medium ruby/purple colour as well as a rounded, layered texture that carries plenty of red and black cherries, spice box, dried herbs, and hints of leather. This medium-bodied, balanced, beautifully pure effort is well worth seeking out.

90/100 – Christer Byklum – Ruby. Blackberries, spices, vanilla, dark fruits nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark berries, blackberries, some vanilla, structured, long finish with some red fruity notes.