Ch. Les Ormes de Pez, Grand Vin, Saint Estephe, 2016

The producer Château Les Ormes de Pez is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Estèphe, with origins dating back to the 18th century. The property takes its name from the elm trees (“ormes”) that once surrounded the estate and from the hamlet of Pez where the vineyards are located. A major turning point came in 1939 when the château was acquired by the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages, who have overseen its development for generations. Under the direction of Jean-Michel Cazes and his team, significant investment in both vineyard management and cellar practices has helped elevate Les Ormes de Pez into one of the leading unclassified estates of the Médoc. The vineyard extends across around 40 hectares on the gravelly clay soils characteristic of Saint-Estèphe, planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, alongside smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The varied terroir contributes both structure and richness, while the relatively old vines provide concentration and depth. Vinification combines traditional Bordeaux methods with modern precision, followed by ageing in French oak barrels to refine the wine’s texture and complexity. Today, Château Les Ormes de Pez is widely regarded as one of the best value wines in Saint-Estèphe, offering much of the commune’s hallmark power and longevity at a more accessible level than the classified growths. The wines are known for their dark fruit character, firm structure and savoury complexity, often showing excellent ageing potential while remaining approachable earlier than many of their neighbours. The wine Château Les Ormes de Pez Grand Vin is typically led by Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by substantial proportions of Merlot, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot completing the blend. The vineyards are planted on the gravel and clay soils of Saint-Estèphe, where the combination of well-drained gravel and moisture-retaining clay helps produce wines of both structure and generosity. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled vats before the wine is matured in French oak barrels for around 15 months, with a moderate proportion of new oak used to enhance texture and complexity without overwhelming the fruit. The resulting wine captures the classic Saint-Estèphe character of dark fruit depth and firm structure, while maintaining an approachable and polished style. Layers of blackcurrant, plum and blackberry are complemented by notes of cedar, tobacco, graphite and subtle spice. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with ripe tannins, fresh acidity and a savoury edge that brings balance and persistence. Although capable of ageing gracefully over the medium to long term, Les Ormes de Pez is often admired for becoming accessible earlier than many of its neighbours, making it one of the commune’s most dependable and rewarding wines. Information Type: Red Vintage: 2016 Country: France Region: Bordeaux Sub region: Saint-Estephe Grape: 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc & 1% Petit Verdot Style: Savory and Classic Sweetness: Dry ABV: 14% Drinking window: 2019 - 2052 Size: 750ml Food match: Beef and Venison Critics Scores We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores. As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.