Esprit de Pavie is another innovative project from Gerard Perse, owner of the right bank estate Château Pavie. Esprit de Pavie made its debut with the 2008 vintage and is made with grapes sourced from Perse’s estates in St.-Émilion and Cotes de Castillon. Esprit de Pavie is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged in French oak barrels and about 3,500 cases are produced annually. Since it was purchased by Perse in 1998, Château Pavie, one of four St.-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates, has produced one of the appellation’s most noted wines. A former professional cyclist who made his fortune with supermarket chains, Perse has modernized and updated the estate with a major replanting program. He also completely remodeled the cellars. Perse owns Château Monbousquet and Château Pavie-Decesse. A sign of Pavie’s prestige is that it was upgraded to a Premier Grand Cru Classé A in 2012 after having been a Premier Grand Cru Classé B since 1954. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Pavie is one of the world’s great wines and, in St.-Émilion, exceeded only in price, not quality, by Cheval Blanc.”