Château Ormes de Pez 2016

Fruity-bitter and somewhat austere in character, true to its style, juicy and crisp as well, with a lovely touch of oak.

This is nicely coiled up, with damson plum, raspberry and bitter cherry coulis flavors held in check for now by vivid savory, lilac and iron notes. Features length, cut and drive, so cellar to let this round into form. Displays a textbook St.-Estèphe profile, with pleasant austerity on full display. Best from 2022 through 2032.

A real standout wine. The gorgeous, fruit-driven nose is followed by a broad, focused palate, seamlessly integrating oak, fruit, acidity and alcohol, achieving veritable racy elegance that sets it apart. Bravo!

The dark berries, sandalwood and cedar aromas are certainly memorable. Full-bodied, dense and rich at the center of the palate with ripe, polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Dense and powerful. Try after 2025.

Tasted blind. Very slightly muddy nose but intense and ripe. Focused, but the acidity is pretty emphatic. Just a bit less vital than some of its peers in 2016. Though the finish is extremely energetic. (JR)

The 2016 Les Ormes de Pez has an open bouquet of red plum, wild strawberry, leather and sous-bois aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, showing more roundness and softness than its peers, yet thankfully harmonious, with a light spicy touch (Szechuan pepper?) on the finish. Nice persistence here, and probably a more approachable Saint-Estèphe. Returning after 15 minutes, I noticed just a touch more leafiness on the finish. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting.

Loads of crushed rocks, fresh, bright red fruits and ripe, soft tannins. The wine had depth, length and the ability to age, leaving you with a blast of sweet, juicy, dark red fruit on the finish. This is clearly the best vintage yet for Les Ormes de Pez.

Floral, nuanced nose with ripe fruit blending raspberry, cassis, and plum, with aromatic spiciness, fine oak, and a dense palate—ample and concentrated, yet with finely rounded extract, fresh, and a long, lingering finish.

A terrific Saint-Estèphe that delivers the goods, the 2016 Château Ormes de Pez is mostly Merlot blended with 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, all brought up in 45% new French oak. This medium- to full-bodied effort has impressive ripeness and concentration as well as tannic structure, with notes of ripe black cherries, graphite, smoked earth, and background oak. Beautifully textured, it will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for two decades.

52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. 45% new barriques. Deep garnet with a violet rim that lightens toward the edge. Red-berry contours, cooled fruit tea and cherry tobacco. Mid-palate shows grippy tannins, good potential, finishing finely austere.

Kunz barrel sample 17: (42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Silky, fruity, subtly opulent bouquet, blackberries, chocolate, mocha. A rounder, medium-bodied palate with sweet fruit, fine-sandy tannins, a bourgeois structure, and a medium-length finish.

(42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 52% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot) Silky, fruity, finely opulent bouquet, blackberries, chocolate, mocha. Plusher, medium-bodied palate with sweet fruit, fine-sandy tannins, a bourgeois structure, medium-length finish. 17/20 2020 - 2032

A brilliant Saint-Estèphe value in a vintage where you can almost buy blind in this appellation. Tight tannins even after a few hours of opening in bottle (not decanting), this has lashings of bitter dark chocolate, cocoa beans, espresso, cinnamon shavings, mandarin peel and damson fruits; this has many years ahead of it. Owned by the Cazes family of Lynch Bages, 45% new oak. On deep gravel soils, picked by hand between September 27 and October 11, in its second year of optical sorting at this point.

A blend of 52% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Ormes de Pez is deep garnet in color. It comes bounding out with open-for-business notes of black cherry preserves, warm cassis, and menthol, followed by hints of spice cake and graphite. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and juicy with spicy accents and a refreshing finish.

The 2016 remains a notch above the 2017, deeper and more refined. A benchmark here.

Nose of small black fruits, black cherry, white pepper. Round, charming palate, very elegant tannins, indulgent, lots of pep.

The nose is fruity, aromatic and powerful. It reveals notes of ripe/fresh blackcurrant and fine notes of fresh/ripe red berries, with subtle hints of violet, discreet touches of licorice stick, and a hint of mocha/woody tones. The palate is fruity, fresh, racy, and offers a lovely acidic backbone, good tension, beautiful freshness, and a fine creaminess. On the palate, this wine shows notes of fresh/ripe blackberry and fine notes of fresh/ripe blackcurrant, and fresh strawberry, with discreet hints of chocolate, caramelized oak, as well as very subtle touches of spices and cedarwood. A discreet hint of bitter dark chocolate appears on the finish. The tannins are fine, racy, and well handled. Good length and a delectable persistence.

Dark, intense, and youthful color. An intense nose with ripe fruit. Finely supple from the outset and above all very flavorful, with brightness on the palate, the wine develops without losing its suppleness, leading to a long finish. It’s superb.

A flamboyant Saint-Estèphe! Gorgeous nose with character and pedigree, generous fruit, hints of sweet mint, delicate flowers, Havana cigar, broad palate with magnificent, polished tannins, length, freshness, energy.

Under the same ownership as Lynch-Bages in Pauillac, this wine shows much of the same rich concentration as those bottlings. Its tannins are as present as the spicy flavors that come through the blackberry fruits. The aftertaste is dark and firm. Drink from 2024.