Château Les Ormes de Pez, St Estèphe, 2023
Jean-Charles Cazes and the Lynch Bages team have produced a sensational Ormes de Pez from a majority 55% Merlot blend, giving this St Estephe a wonderfully juicy core to compliment the wild, blackcurrant shrub fragrance on the nose. Floral, crisp and rather delicious, there's lots of pixelated dark fruit and a really nice tannic thread through the core, which gives is presence and composure.
critic reviews
A beautiful wine that has that savoury sappy classically balanced quality that is so beautiful in this vintage. One to look out for, this has appellation signature with chewy blackberry and damson fruits, love it. 51hl/h, 45% new oak, harvest September 14 through into October 4. This is a single point upscore and is absolutely one to buy, a value pick.
The 2023 Ormes de Pez was rather perplexing from barrel and now in bottle, well, it seems to vindicate my tepid reaction. The nose somehow seems quite distant, missing a bit of presence and fruit concentration. The palate is better but the tannins feel obdurate, unyielding, with a grippy finish that calls for a bit more "flesh around the bones." Let's see how it shows with further bottle age.
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2023 Ormes de Pez rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notes of baked plums, boysenberry preserves, and kirsch plus nuances of wet pebbles and cedar. The medium-bodied palate is soft, with just enough fruit nicely balanced by soft tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift. The blend is 55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot.
Aromas of dark berries, cassis and creamy new oak introduce the 2023 Ormes de Pez, a medium-bodied, rich and creamy wine with a lively core of fruit and sweet structuring tannins. At 55%, Merlot dominates the blend.