2023 Jean-Marc et Hughes Pavelot
It’s a good day when the Jean-Marc Pavelot wines arrive. I have a history with this domaine that goes back to the 1990s, and not only have I consumed countless bottles over the years, I also have a healthy stash aging quietly in my own cellar. The domaine has always produced wines of serious quality at a price point that Burgundy collectors can still enjoy.
Blessed with an enviable array of holdings in Savigny, Jean-Marc’s son – Hughes Pavelot – has been leading the domaine for what must be close to 20 years now. His meticulous attention to detail and exacting standards have continued to elevate the wines. As someone who has been drinking these wines for decades, I can honestly say they have never been better.
Climate change has benefited Savigny tremendously. Warmer temperatures and sunnier days allow the fruit to ripen more evenly, giving Hughes the luxury of harvesting perfectly ripe grapes. Today’s wines remain powerful, but they now offer a more fruit-forward profile. Anyone familiar with these wines will tell you they reward patience in the cellar, and it’s still best to keep your hands off them if you can.
The Dominode has long been my top wine from the cellar and is arguably the top dog in the lineup. It is always the most backward wine, where patience is essential. Over the past several vintages, I’ve found the Gravains to be one of the wines that offers a bit more early accessibility, and in 2023 that is certainly the case.
Inky dark purple in color, the nose leans toward black fruit with notes of spice and plum. Despite the depth of color, the palate shows plushness and fullness without ever feeling over the top — I’d even go so far as to describe the flavors as almost cool. The structure and underlying minerality emerge on the finish, with tannins clearly present. This wine truly deserves a few more years in bottle to fully reveal all that it can be.
Hard to go wrong with any of the wines.
A powerful purple with a deep black centre. There appears to be a strict intensity to the Gravains. A bit of plum, plenty of dark red berries, some tannins once again, a more compact wine than the Lavières but possibly a point more intense as well. 14% helps to explain this. Drink from 2029-2035. Tasted Dec 2024.
- Jasper Morris, 90-93
The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Gravins ler Cru, 22% whole cluster, is much more reticent on the nose compared to the Les Lavières. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasant orange rind note infusing the black fruit on the entry. With fine structure and good grip, this feels precise and focused on the finish that has just the right amount of salinity. This is excellent.
- Neal Martin/Vinous, 91-93
This manages to be at once quite ripe yet cool and airy with its liqueur-like aromas of poached plum, earth and kirsch. The exceptionally rich flavors possess a suave, even lavish, mouthfeel while delivering good if not truly special length on the stony finale. In the context of what is typical for the Pavelot Gravains, this is quite plump if not actually fat and a wine that will drink earlier than it usually does.
- Burghound, 89-92
2023 Jean Marc et Hughes Pavelot Savigny les Beaune 1er Lavieres
A fine even purple. Ripe raspberry fruit, nicely harnessed, with the slightly firm tannins from this vineyard which has a little more clay below the surface. It is in no way heavy though, just bears a more solid frame which will support longer ageing. Drink from 2029-2035. Tasted Dec 2024.
- Jasper Morris, 90-92
The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières ler Cru has impressive delineation with judicious use of 23% whole bunch. Touches of blackberry, red fruit, wild hedgerow and black pepper emerge with time. The palate is well balanced and delicately spiced with wonderful poise, gentle grip and a little more depth and backbone on the finish. This is classy. Bon vin.
- Neal Martin / Vinous Media, 92-94
This is one of the few wines in the range to exhibit any appreciable wood influence though it's still subtle on the spicy and more floral-suffused nose of red and dark pinot fruit. The mouthfeel is generous to the point of being plush with a suave texture to the middle weight flavors that are, like those of the Bressandes, relatively powerful which isn't usually the case, all wrapped in a youthfully austere, stony and firm finale. Once again, this is sufficiently compact to need at least moderate keeping.
- Burghound, 91-93 Sweet Spot Outstanding!
A defiant black purple, this wine is so intense in all compartments. Then surprisingly racy on the palate just when I was expecting an overload of black fruit. In fact, this is much redder in profile, fresh cherry and raspberry, underpinned by a crystalline limestone notion. Very persistent. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Dec 2024.
- Jasper Morris, 91-94 | 5 Star
The 2023 Savigny-lès-Beaune La Dominode ler Cru showed a small reduction on the nose: blackberry, briar and light white pepper scents unfold in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It's perhaps the most peppery of the Savigny cuvées, although the Gravins has more precision on the finish.
- Neal Martin / Vinous, 90-92
Here too the nose is ripe to the point of being liqueur-like with a similar note of kirsch on the cassis and violet scents. The super-suave, round and highly seductive flavors possess good size, weight and power but not the punch it usually does. To be sure, this is perfectly good, it's just not as distinguished as I'm used to seeing.
- Burghound, 90-92
