2020 de Pez
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Tasting notes
Offering up aromas of sweet blackberries, cigar wrapper and loamy soil, the 2020 de Pez is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a succulent, charming profile that means it will drink well young.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jane Anson, Decanter
More reviews and scores
I was able to taste the 2020 Château De Pez on multiple occasions, and it never failed to impress. This outstanding Saint-Estèphe reveals a semi-opaque purple hue as well as textbook aromatics of ripe black and blue fruits, truffly earth, violets, and leafy tobacco. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a silky, elegant mouthfeel, light tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and outstanding length. It lacks a touch of oomph, but this balanced, graceful, incredibly pure 2020 will benefit from just 4-5 years of bottle age and should see its 20th birthday in fine form.
The 2020 Château de Pez has a far superior bouquet than the Deuxième Vin , with blackberry and mulberry, pressed violet and then peony. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and quite saturated tannins. Fine backbone here, fresh and saline with a vibrant finish. Maybe not the most persistent Saint-Estèphe yet there is impressive weight.
The 2020 de Pez is a potent, brooding wine, just as it was en primeur. Black cherry, gravel, tobacco, scorched earth, chocolate and menthol all flesh out in the glass. This is a pretty rich, heady Saint-Estèphe, punctuated by huge tannins and quite a bit of heft.
About the producer
The Rouzaud family of Champagne Louis Roederer purchased this Saint-Estèphe estate in 1995. The property comprises 23 hectares of vines, divided between 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot. The wine is aged in around 25% new oak for 18 months.