Château de Pez 2018

A blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 de Pez leaps from the glass with vibrant black cherries, ripe blackberries and blackcurrant pastilles notes, giving way to nuances of black olives, lavender and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate offers nicely rounded tannins and a lively backbone to counter the bold fruit, finishing savory.

Fresh red currant and bitter cherry notes are laced with floral and chalk notes. Piercing in feel through the finish, with the fruit and minerality in lockstep as a touch of cedar appears, leaving a mouthwatering edge. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2032.

Always an extremely classy St-Estèphe, and this is an excellent wine that has restraint but punch, with plenty of cassis and blackberry fruit, guided by tannins that are never overdone.

Spices and dark berries with some nutmeg and cedar. Medium to full body, really polished tannins and a refined and pretty finish. So fine. Tight yet balanced. Give it three or four years to open. Try after 2023.

The 2018 Château de Pez was shut when I tasted it from cask with winemaker Nicolas Glumineau, so much so that I felt it was inappropriate to score it because I sensed a great wine lurking behind that door. And so it proved. Now in bottle, it shows a gorgeous bouquet of lifted blackberry, graphite and flinty notes, razor-sharp in delineation. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins and a subtle marine influence that becomes more prominent with aeration. The oak is wonderfully integrated and the focus is superb through the finish. This is one of the best Château de Pez I have tasted, but it clearly needed to wait until it was in bottle to show its potential.

Wet earth, spice box, tobacco, cedar and currants create the nose. On the palate, the wine is round, lush and fresh. Soft, with ample sweet, dark red fruits and a peppery kick on the back end, give this 4–6 years in the cellar before it is fully ready to go. The wine blends 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Deep dark ruby, violet tints, delicate bright rim. Restrained dark forest berries, some nougat, a hint of noble wood in the background. Medium body, fresh cherries, integrated tannins, pronounced fruity finish, a good food wine.

Bright inky dark colour. Pure and youthful nose displaying inky dark fruit like cassis, fig, plum and a hint of new oak. Structured and dense palate, intense tannin yet no hard edges, just in a youthful phase, digest dark fruit flavours with a fresh acidity underneath, a slight presence of oak, some herbal sage and bay leaf flavours leading to a long dense finish. Drink from 2024.

From the team of Nicolas Glumineau at Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, the 2018 Château De Pez is a gorgeous 2018 that should be on every Bordeaux lover's radar (and should be a great value as well). Notes of blackcurrants, blueberries, candied violets, and graphite define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with medium- to full-bodied richness, rockingly polished tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish. It's terrific and is going to have 15–20 years or more of longevity. The blend is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Very dark purple-garnet with a dense core. Concentrated black-berry nose, with Sichuan pepper and dark noble woods in the background. On the palate, fleshy, with craving tannins and a slightly powdery extract, paired with fine sweetness. Focused finish with dried plum skin and sloe juice. This is the positive surprise from St.-Estèphe this year – better than ever.

Kunz barrel sample 19: (49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Deep, dense, dark, powerful bouquet, black cassis, blackberries, dark tobacco, noble woods, fine currants. Dense, powerful, velvety, aromatic palate with a finely muscular structure, plenty of good tannins, velvety dark fruit, diverse aromatics, long, dense finish.

(49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Deep, dense, dark, powerful bouquet: black cassis, blackberries, dark tobacco, noble woods, fine currants. Dense, powerful, velvety, aromatic palate with a finely muscular structure, plenty of fine tannins, velvety dark fruit, complex aromatics, long, dense finish. 18/20 2026 - 2048

Ample, generous, flavorful, a little simpler in its expression than some neighbors, but also more direct.

The 2018 is smooth and fleshy, yet it balances very well. However, its tannic mass needs time to soften.

Distinctive bouquet with notes of cedar and graphite, and fruitiness highlighted by hints of raspberry. Lush and compact on the palate, where the fine-grained tannins provide solid support and lend breadth to the whole. A wine that delivers both finesse and amplitude.

Logo on the cork: inverted T (Trescases)

Under the same Rouzaud family ownership as Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, this estate has produced a structured wine. It offers dense and solid tannins, rich with a firm texture and black currant fruits. The wine has weight and density that need aging. Drink from 2026.