Chateau Ormes de Pez 2021

Playful, spicy and floral, red berries. Slim palate, fresh, firm tannins, delicate fruit, pleasantly long, spicy finish, red-fruited aftertaste. Has breed.

The 2021 Ormes de Pez delivers notes of cassis, pencil shavings and toasty oak, followed by a medium-bodied, suave and polished palate with a nicely concentrated core of fruit framed by tangy acids and sweet, powdery tannins.

Shows mulled loganberry fruit that mingles with tobacco, cedar and savory hints, while tangy acidity asserts itself throughout. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2025 through 2031.

Sweet strawberry, orange, grapefruit, plums and blackcurrants, but the sweet jammy kind. This is fruit-forward and expressive out the gate, round and so appealing. Spiced aspects from the Petit Verdot with a sturdy backbone in terms of structure and frame. Tannins are on the more austere side, fine and detailed, extremely mouthfilling, yet you can almost taste each one, with the minerality coming through strongly and leaving that clean wet-stone taste in the mouth. Ripe and juicy dark fruit as well. This is medium-bodied with lots of precision in terms of detail. Lovely potential here. 5% Petit Verdot completes the blend. pH 3.68.

A rather tannic and structured young wine with black currant and spice, with some walnut and cedar undertones. Medium body. Juicy and flavorful. Rather lean at the end. 49% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Give it two or three years to soften.

49% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet. Distinctively ripe on the nose. Blackberry and blackcurrant. Leaner on the palate but better balanced than some. Dry, taut, a bit austere on the finish. (JH)

The 2021 Ormes de Pez is quite striking on the nose, brinier than I recall from barrel, with lifted blackberry and boysenberry fruit and a touch of balsamic. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, again very saline in the mouth and slightly granular in texture, with black olive tapenade toward the finish. Quite feisty at the moment, give this three or four years in bottle.

Aromas of flowers, truffle, smoke, cocoa and black cherry form the perfume. On the palate, the wine is vibrant and fresh, combining peppery red fruits with a shot of orange on the spicy finish. Drink from 2024–2038.

Opaque ruby core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Hints of cassis, blackberry confit and a touch of candied orange zest on the nose. Medium-complex palate of red cherries with integrated tannins, minerality and a fresh finish. Pleasing with food.

The 2021 Château Ormes De Pez is another charming, forward, undeniably delicious Saint-Estèphe in the vintage. Slightly more red-fruited, it has ample currant fruit as well as some spicy, herbal nuances. These all carry to a medium-bodied, balanced, nicely textured 2021 with ripe tannins and integrated acidity. Give it 2-4 years and enjoy over the following decade or so.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.1% alc./vol.) Silky, sweet, dark bouquet—plum, cassis, toasted notes, tobacco, licorice. Medium-bodied palate with a delicate core, good tannins, muscular structure, powerful dark aromas, long, bitter finish.

(40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.1% alc./vol.) Silky, sweet, dark bouquet with plums, cassis, toasted notes, tobacco, licorice. Medium-bodied palate, delicately firm, with good tannins, a muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, and a long, bitter finish. 17/20 2028 - 2045

Warm and welcoming ruby-plum colour. Opens with undergrowth and smoked earth, a little rustic as it was En Primeur, but easily one of the most charming and best value wines of the vintage, with brambled fruits and fresh acidities that are mouthwatering rather than sharp. 45% new oak.

A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Ormes de Pez has a deep garnet-purple color. It features notes of crushed blackberries and raspberries, giving way to hints of dusty soil, cardamom, and underbrush. Light-bodied, delicately styled and refreshing, the palate features soft tannins and a peppery lift on the finish.

Les Ormes de Pez 2021 is a very indulgent and deliciously fruity wine, with undeniable charm. It is also built to age for a few years, with very well-integrated tannins that shape the finish. A whole that is very true to the style of the cru.

A generous nose, with a fresh vein of dark fruit. A blue-blooded wine—cool, dense, self-assured and confident—beneath velvety tannins that need only a little time to meld into a digestible, elegant texture.

Dark, beautiful color. Intense nose with ripe fruit. The palate is fairly opulent and full, as so often, with juiciness, fruit, and a Saint-Estèphe-style finish that’s slightly austere yet well-wrapped. Good, tasty, spicy length. Blend: 49% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.13% – pH: 3.68 – IPT: 80.

Ripe black-currant aromas and a smoky edge from tannins are lifted onto the wine's nutmeg spice and toast. They go along with the dense black fruits that are powerful and structured. Drink from 2027.