2023 Château de Pez, St Estèphe, Bordeaux

61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.

Dark, subdued but layered. Plenty of extract and a solid tannic frame. Minerally-fresh finish. Very St-Estèphe.

Drink 2030 - 2045

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 de Pez strolls out with casual scents of blackcurrants and red cherries plus wafts of mint tea, cedar, and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate is soft and lively, with just enough fruit and an herbal lift on the finish. The blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, with pH 3.6.

Drink 2027 - 2037

The 2023 Château de Pez has a refined bouquet that demands some coaxing from the glass. It shyly reveals black brambly fruit, a hint of melted tar and black tea, very pure in style as it gradually finds its voice. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins and good backbone. Fresh, with admirable salinity, it just needs a little more cohesion on the finish though a second bottle at Pichon Lalande showed exactly that). This is a very fine Saint-Estèphe.

Drink 2028 - 2040

The 2023 de Pez represents another important step for the property. The team, led by Pichon Comtesse Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau, continues to work toward a more refined style than in the past. Black cherry, plum, licorice and mocha fill out the layers nicely. There's still plenty of Saint-Estèphe breadth, but these days, the tannins show greater polish. Floral overtones extend the finish. Tasted three times.

Drink 2027 - 2043

The Grand Vin 2023 Château De Pez checks in as 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, resting in 50% new oak for a year, with the final six months in foudre. It has a core of spicy red and black fruits as well as savory flowers, spicy wood, and tobacco. This gives way to a medium to full-bodied, ripe, beautifully textured, seamless wine that has plenty of tannins as well as outstanding length. The quality here continues to soar, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this check in as one of the finest vintages to date from this château. Tasted twice.

A beautiful Pez with a solid core of fruit and creamy, refined tannins. It’s complex with plenty of blackcurrant, graphite, lead-pencil and nutmeg flavors. Linear and polished texture. Very precise and defined. Better than 2022.

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. 3.6ph.

Drink 2026 - 2038

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 led 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.

Drink 2027 - 2038