Château de Pez Château de Pez

Saint-Estéphe, France

Vintage:2016 (Past)

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Château de Pez  Château de Pez  2016
  • IB 94
  • JS 93
  • WE 93
  • JD 92
  • WS 92
  • V 92

Reviews

Inside Bordeaux

94 Points

October 2022, Jane Anson

“Lovely aromatics of ripe black fruits edged with violet flowers and smoked cedar. This is powerful, you feel the punch and the sense of momentum, impressive grip that opens up to show charcoal, chocolate and slate, lovely balance and character, young but starting to open up, full of class and appellation signature. One of the values of the tasting. Harvest September 20 to October 18, lasting almost a full calendar month. Hold + 2 years or carafe for 3 hours.”

Wine Enthusiast

93 Points

May 1, 2019, Roger Voss

“One of the many estates on the Pez plateau in Saint-Estèphe, this property is at the top of its game. Owned by the same proprietors as Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, the wine has structure, big tannins as well as dense black fruits. Drink from 2024.”

Wine Spectator

92 Points

March 31, 2019, James Molesworth

“This has a mix of red currant, dark plum and bitter cherry fruit flavors giving nice range from the start, while light tobacco, iron and singed alder notes check in as well. The taut finish has pebbly tannins and solid length. Cellar to let this unwind. Best from 2023 through 2033. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.”

Jeb Dunnuck

92 Points

February 28, 2019, Jeb Dunnuck

“Made by Nicolas from Comtesse, the 2016 Château de Pez checks in as a blend of 42%, 53 Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Black cherries, green tobacco, some underbrush, and cedar pencil notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, supple, elegant 2016 that still shows true Saint-Estèphe character.”

JamesSuckling.com

93 Points

February 4, 2019, James Suckling

“St.-Estèphe is supposed to be a robust and hard wine, but this is elegant and sophisticated with fine, cassis and lemon-peel aromas, polished tannins and a long, rather delicate finish. Drink or hold.”

Vinous Media

92 Points

January 2019, Antonio Galloni

“The 2016 de Pez has turned out well. Iron, smoke, savory herbs, menthol and scorched earth all give Pez its distinctive feral, savory profile. The tannins are still a bit tough, but time will help, to some degree. It will be interesting to see what the Roederer group does at de Pez moving forward, now that it is the Rouzaud family's sole holding in Saint-Estèphe.”

Overview

Founded in the 15th century, Pez is the oldest domaine in Saint-Estèphe. The Pontac family, then-owners of Château Haut-Brion, gave Pez its vineyards. The property remained in the hands of descendants until the French Revolution. Sold as a property of the state, the domaine belonged to a succession of families until 1995, when it was purchased by Champagne Louis Roederer.

Château de Pez is one of the oldest properties in Bordeaux’s Left Bank and consists of 104 continuous acres with 94 acres planted to prime grape varieties, mainly merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Thanks to the quality of its production, Château de Pez is counted among the most highly reputed crus of the Médoc and was reclassified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2003.

Winemaking

Château de Pez remains resolutely faithful to wood. The blend is composed in December, and the wine is stored in barrels (40% new wood, 40% in "Premier vin" casks and 20% in "Deuxième vin" casks) and racked every three months. It is to be noted that the wine undergoes absolutely no filtration. 

Tasting Notes

The bouquet of this wine expresses notes of blackcurrant, cherry and liquorice as well as a hint of minerals. Rich and complex, this wine maintains the balance between density and harmony, power and refinement, race and the precision of its tannins.

Harvest Notes

After an anormally mild and rainy winter, prompting a consistent but predicted budding, summer arrived definitively on June 20th. This very dry summer compensated for a very wet spring. Saint Estephe’s chalky clay soils played an important role by retaining humidity thus allowing the vine to find water when in an otherwise none would have been available. The harvest began on September 20th and continued gently on until October 18th allowing for optimal ripening of each plot.

Technical Information

Varietals: 53% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3.5% Petit Verdot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc

Harvest Start Date: September 20, 2016

Harvest End Date: October 18, 2016

Soil Composition: Gravel with clay and limestone

Average Vine Age: 25 years