Château Ormes de Pez 2023

Seductive bouquet, perfumed, fresh, with dark fruit, and immensely creamy on the palate. What a charmer! The finest tannins, very good length. An exceptionally successful Ormes de Pez.

The 2023 Ormes de Pez was rather perplexing from barrel and now in bottle, well, it seems to vindicate my tepid reaction. The nose somehow seems quite distant, missing a bit of presence and fruit concentration. The palate is better but the tannins feel obdurate, unyielding, with a grippy finish that calls for a bit more "flesh around the bones." Let's see how it shows with further bottle age.

Cocoa, mint, cherries, tobacco and licorice aromas jump from the glass with a single swirl. The medium-bodied palate is and fruity, with peppery edge to the finish. Give it a year or two in the bottle, and this should be even better. This is showing much better in the bottle than it did during the barrel tastings, which is always a great sign. The wine is a blend of 55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2027-2042.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core. Delicate roasted aromas, cassis, some liquorice, inviting bouquet. Medium body, ripe cherries, round tannins, fresh and persistent, a lively food wine, fine fruitiness on the finish, good ageing potential.

55% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. Open bouquet, sour cherry juice, lilac perfume and cassis spice. On the taut palate with a soft texture, a tight, demanding tannic framework, a straight-lined body, becoming finely austere. Focused finish with plum skin, dark graphite and delicately crumbly astringency.

A beautiful wine that has that savoury sappy classically balanced quality that is so beautiful in this vintage. One to look out for, this has appellation signature with chewy blackberry and damson fruits, love it. 51hl/h, 45% new oak, harvest September 14 through into October 4. This is a single point upscore and is absolutely one to buy, a value pick.

Score: 90–92. Rich, ripe and seductive on the nose, fleshy, with sweet red fruits and beguiling notes of blood orange and smoked tobacco, delicately spiced. On the palate, the wine is suave and charming, intense and indulgent, and then a marked acidity gradually develops. A muscular structure wraps the intensely fruity core of firm tannins, leading to a finish with mocha aromas.

The nose is pleasantly fruity, offering concentration and fairly ripe fruit. It displays notes of bigarreau cherry, blackberry and, more subtly, violet, joined by hints of small Mediterranean red berries, fine touches of cornflower and licorice, and a very discreet almost clove-like note. The palate is nicely juicy, fruity and balanced, with a zesty backbone, precision, tension, good definition, energy, and a finely judged, elegant austerity. It shows notes of juicy/pulpy blackberry, fairly ripe, juicy wild red berries and, more delicately, cornflower, layered with hints of infusion, black tea, toastiness, cocoa and almond. Good length.

Some nice aromatics, not massively expressive. Blackcurrant, plum and cranberry – all crisp fruit aspects. A little tart and high-toned, but there’s such ripeness too, so you get high acidity with quite some concentration that gives a wide mouthfeel, and underneath it all there’s freshness and a cool mint tone. Lots going on, with a steely core too. Not quite harmonised but will be lovely. 7% press wine. 6% Petit Verdot completes the blend.

A bird of a different feather, with atypically succulent (for St.-Estephe) loganberry and boysenberry fruit that's infused liberally with mesquite, dried anise and black tea. Glossy overall, with just enough savory/chalk through the finish to keep it honest. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2036.

It received “my highest score ever given to this wine en primeur”, and the result exceeds my expectations. This vintage is on par with the 2022. Beautiful deep dark red colour. A very aromatic, subtle nose. A hint of plum in brandy. The palate is as mellow and delicious as could be, developing with a graceful texture into a long, fragrant finish. It’s long and very good. The best ever, alongside the 2022! Bravo!