The 2025 Arômes de Pavie is gorgeous. A blend of 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc, Arômes offers a very good representation of the Grand Vin, on a smaller scale. Juicy dark red/purplish fruit, blood orange, menthol, licorice, new leather and dried herbs open first. There's quite a bit of tannin that needs to soften with élevage. Yields were just 18 hectoliters per hectare, perhaps too low, as berries were tiny and thick-skinned. That's something of a challenge for a wine meant to be enjoyed young, where aging is not on most consumers' minds. On the other hand, I have tasted older vintages of Arômes that prove it can age beautifully.

By Antonio Galloni April 2026