2020 Château Les Ormes-de-Pez
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Tasting notes
There’s lovely purity and lift to this wine, with a touch of rose and souk spice to the nose. On the palate, there’s an almost zesty, tart-cherry lift balancing a moreish savoury character and the drive of pure bramble fruit at the heart of the wine. Lovely balance.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Delicately fragrant with dark-red fruits then oak spice overlay. Big, chewy tannins but with all the fruit you could want to keep it in balance. Big yet balanced, the tannins nicely done to balance both power and finesse. I was more enthusiastic than some of the other tasters on the day. (JH)
The 2020 Ormes de Pez has a more open nose than its peers, leaning more toward red fruit as hints of potpourri and rosemary lend complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins. There's quite a lot of extraction noticeable in this Saint-Estèphe, as well as a grippy, saline finish. It will require cellaring for several years before it entertains drinkability. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.
Aromas of sweet cherries, berries and spices framed by creamy new oak, introduce the 2020 Ormes de Pez, a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy wine that's polished and seamless, with a generous core of fruit and an extroverted, charming profile.
About the producer
The Cazes family – owners of Lynch-Bages – added this Saint-Estèphe Cru Bourgeois estate to their portfolio in 1940, just one year after they purchased Lynch-Bages. The property comprises 32 hectares of vines in the north of the appellation, close to the village of Pez.