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.

An exceptionally good 2023, a real value pick and I thoroughly recommend. It has muscular tannins that could do with a few more years in bottle, or a good long carafe, but you also get beautiful ripe berry fruits, packed with cocoa bean, graphite, cigar box and espresso. Owned by the Champagne house Louis Roederer since 1995. 50% new oak for ageing, with time in oak extended again as in 2022. 3.6ph. Eric Boissenot consultant. A buy.

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.

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.

Refreshing notes of blackcurrant and eucalyptus, complemented by a peppery touch. Linear and well supported by fleshy tannins, the wine follows a precise, seamless line. It is still a little reserved on the palate and needs time to settle to better showcase its nuances; the substance is there, as is the energy. Now it simply needs to knit together—time will take care of that! A promising wine.

Dark colour with purplish highlights. A lovely, very aromatic nose—fine and subtle—with a hint of blackberry. Delicate on the attack, aromatic through the mid-palate but also somewhat astringent, the wine develops into a juicy, slightly simple finish. It’s surprising not to find that lovely nose again on the finish.