Château Pavie-Decesse: Pavie-Pigasse
In the 1908 Cocks et Féret Ferdinand Bouffard featured prominently, being listed as owner of five domaines on or around the côte. The first was Château Pavie-Pigasse, comprising vines he had acquired from the Pigasse widow, followed by Château Pavie, the largest of his many domaines, with an annual production of 70 tonneaux. In describing this latter estate it is clear that the authors were talking of the modern-day Château Pavie; the vineyard sat at the middle of the Côte de Pavie, and the authors revealed it was augmented by the purchase of Pavie-Pigasse (so some of the Pigasse vines did contribute to this estate too) and the aforementioned Dussaut vines, here referred to as Pavie-Dussaut. Château Pimpinelle, Château Larcis-Bergey and Château La Sable were listed separately in third, fourth and fifth positions respectively, each one responsible for 25 tonneaux per annum. In total, Bouffard’s super-domaine was turning out 170 tonneaux (the equivalent of 680 barriques) each year.
It was Château Pavie-Pigasse that was destined to become the Château Pavie-Decesse we know today. Here Ferdinand Bouffard was turning out 25 tonneaux per annum, and the authors were full of praise, having declared that the estate “must be considered one of the best premiers crus of St Emilion, admirably situated at the summit of the Pavie croupe, its vineyard contiguous with that of Château Pavie”.
