2022 Château Ormes de Pez, Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
Regular price $55.00
Unit price per
51% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, black cherry, violet, graphite, tobacco, and warm spice. Medium-to-full bodied with dense but polished tannins, generous dark fruit, and a long, mineral-tinged finish.
Château Ormes de Pez sits near the hamlet of Pez in Saint-Estèphe, where vineyards have been cultivated for centuries on the gravel and clay soils of Bordeaux’s Left Bank. The property became part of the Cazes family holdings in 1939 and remains closely connected to Château Lynch-Bages in neighboring Pauillac. Saint-Estèphe lies toward the northern end of the Médoc and is traditionally known for deeply structured wines with strong tannins, dark fruit, and excellent aging potential. At Ormes de Pez, the vineyard’s combination of Garonne gravel and sandy clay allows both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to excel. Cabernet benefits from the warm, free-draining gravel, while Merlot performs particularly well in the cooler clay-influenced parcels. The unusually warm 2022 season produced small, concentrated berries, and the estate carefully sorted the harvest following a summer hailstorm in Saint-Estèphe. Merlot again plays the leading role in the blend, giving the wine a plush center that balances the firmer Cabernet structure. Cabernet Franc contributes perfume and freshness, while Petit Verdot adds color, spice, and additional backbone. Harvesting is done by hand, and vineyard management emphasizes sustainable practices and long-term soil health. The wine matured for 16 months in French oak, including 45% new barrels, which adds structure and spice while allowing the concentrated fruit to remain dominant. This is a richer, more powerful expression of Ormes de Pez than the 2023, yet it retains the freshness and savory character that make Saint-Estèphe so compelling.
James Suckling: 94 Points
This is a solid red with plenty of muscle in the Ormes de Pez way. It’s medium- to full-bodied with dense and chewy tannins that are polished yet lightly austere. Blackcurrants, nutmeg and other spices such as thyme. Nicely austere in a very St.-Estephe way.
Vinous: 94 Points
The 2022 Ormes de Pez is matured in 45% new oak for a planned 16 months. It has a perfumed and floral bouquet, quite sensual for a Saint-Estèphe, developing blue fruit with time in the glass. The oak is neatly enmeshed. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a high-toned and racy opening. Good acidity, the Merlot (51%) occupies the driving seat and ensures its silky-textured finish, a mote of chalk dust on the aftertaste. Just needs its élevage to knit it all together. –Neal Martin
Decanter: 93 Points
Dark plums and blackcurrants, ripe and fragranced on the nose, aromatic and open. High, juicy acidity is balanced by fine but chalky tannins and a flint undertone giving the minerality and tension. Powerful and massy, strong but well contained, focussed and all in one line. Good weight and balance, quite a serious and spiced edge but with lots of freshness throughout. A little strict and herbal, with the wood showing through, but lovely fruit purity. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend..
Wine Spectator: 94 Points
This is stylish in the way it captures the warm cassis and mulled plum fruit of the vintage, along with the AOC's telltale warm stone, lilac and iron accents. The long, smoldering finish pulls everything together thanks to a subtle chalky thread. Understated and nicely done. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.