Created in the 15th century, Château de Pez is the oldest domain in Saint-Estèphe. The Pontac family, who also created Haut-Brion, gave Pez its vineyards. The domain was sold as a property of the state after the French Revolution and was owned by a succession of families before Champagne Louis Roederer purchased it in 1995.
The Château de Pez estate covers more than 26 hectares. The wines are left to ferment in traditional oak vats before being blended, and left to develop for a period of 16 to 18 months in oak barrels, 40 percent of them new.
The Château de Pez winery remains resolutely faithful to wood. The blend is composed in December, then the wine is stored in barrels (40% new wood, 40% in “premier vin” casks and 20% in “deuxième vin” casks) and racked every three months. Vatting: 22-30 days. It is to be noted that the wine undergoes absolutely no filtration. The wines of Château de Pez have an attractive tannic structure worthy of further ageing. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘Pomerols’ of St-Estèphe, in part due to the smooth roundness brought to the wine by the Merlot vines grown on the exceptional soils. They tend to be dark in colour and have great length, body and distinction and are best appreciated after 5+ years.
We will remember 2013 as a cool, wet year, with the exception of July and August. The harvests took place quite late; at the end of September. The warm, very humid, almost tropical conditions of the vintage created a high risk of botrytis and therefore required a meticulous sorting of the grapes. This unusual vintage in Bordeaux was vinified gently in order to avoid excessive extraction. We paid careful attention to the barrel ageing process in order to respect the wine’s balance between a fruity character, body and a well-honed tannic backbone.
Red fruits and subtle cedar on the nose. The wine is elegant, open and fruit forward offering early pleasure. It shows a long, well-balanced palate offering blackberry, strawberry, liquorice and hazelnut. Classic yet approachable.
Lamb, red meats, cheese, truffle, chocolate.
Serve at room temperature
Wine Enthusiast: 91 POINTS
March 1, 2016, Roger Voss
“One of several châteaux in Saint-Estèphe that come from the plateau of Pez, this is a lightly structured wine, with already-forward black currant fruitiness and acidity. It’s developing quickly and will be ready to drink from 2018.”
AOC Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
74% Cabernet Sauvignon
26% Merlot
Natural Cork
13%
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