Chateau de Pez 2023

Expressive, fruit-driven, with floral and peppery notes; creamy texture, powerful, precise, high-quality tannins, plenty of breed and spice.

Lovely fragrance of floral and dark bramble fruit on the nose. Smooth and supple, succulent and mouthwatering. Really lovely, juicy and bright, light and lean, but there’s texture too, softly grippy tannins that give the St-Estèphe minerality. Cool, crisp, lifted, lovely freshness with blue fruit and lots of pencil lead and mint. Balanced, easy, not too sharp not too edgy or hard. I like this a lot, chewy cherry and lean strawberry and crisp cranberry. Great balance, ends a little lean but it’s the minerality that captures and I love it.

The 2023 Château de Pez has an attractive bouquet with blackberry, cassis and veins of blood orange that give the aromatics real lift. The palate is medium-bodied with gentle grip. Dark berry fruit, hints of brown spice and graphite, nicely balanced with a classic Saint-Estèphe, tertiary, slightly flinty finish. Give this 2 or 3 years in bottle.

Currants, espresso, tobacco, and forest floor aromas fill the aromatic profile. Fresh, round, and sweet, with a fleshy texture, and a long, minty, fruit-packed finish that lingers. The refreshing touch of mint enhances the finish. The wine is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2027-2038.

Dark ruby colour, purple reflections, brightening on the rim. Red cherries, fresh plums, mandarin zest, light nougat underneath. Medium body, red berry fruit, ripe tannins, good freshness, a lively food wine.

In 2022 this was one of the real values of the vintage, and it has hit it out of the park again in 2023. More austerity to the tannins than it showed last year, but with greater verve and balance, and juicy depths to the blueberry, cassis and raspberry fruits, wrapped in tannins that offer support but don't get in the way of drinkability. Owned by the Champagne house Louis Roederer since 1995. 50% new oak for ageing, with time in oak extended again as in 2022. pH 3.6.

Score: 91–93. An exhilarating, warm, comforting bouquet where floral (dried rose), toasty and fruity aromas mingle. The palate is succulent, straightforward and joyful, brimming with fresh blueberry juice, with a fresh, very fine, mineral backbone, and bright, fleshy tannins that cling delicately to the palate.

A lovely fruity nose, fresh, taut and harmonious, delivering vigorous freshness, depth and elegance. It shows notes of boysenberry, fresh/bright red berries and, more subtly, cornflower—joined by touches of bright red berries, almost roasted-juicy small fruits, as well as hints of violet, graphite and a subtle whiff of smoke. The palate is beautifully fresh, mineral, precise, airy and balanced, offering a fresh, tangy backbone, accuracy, tension, lovely definition, lovely freshness and an almost crystalline edge. It reveals notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, pulpy/fleshy blackcurrant and, more delicately, bright red berries, intertwined with touches of racy minerality, graphite and cardamom, along with fine hints of camphor, minerality, dry gravel and a hint of toast, vanilla and an almost saline note. Lovely freshness and a fine graphite touch. The tannins are supple, precise and polished.

It is defined by a beautiful velvety texture on the palate and a gourmand character. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, nicely ripe and vinified with increasing gentleness, interpret 2023 with elegance. Dense and very supple on the palate, where the tannins arrange themselves with precision before unfurling a finish of fresh spices.

93-95. Barrel Sample. This has the typical structure of a Saint-Estèphe, fleshed out with ripe black fruits. There is fine juicy acidity and rich tannins. An impressive opulence gives this wine good potential.

Sleek, reserved style, with a dusting of potpourri and chalk threads amid lilac, red currant and Damson notes. Gently chiseled cut on the pure, unadorned finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2027 through 2037.