| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Estèphe |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Owned and made by the Cazes family of Lynch Bages, this is a consistently good wine and deserving of Cru Classé status. The vineyard is planted with around 50:50 Cabernet and Merlot. Always good value, it can often be attractive in its youth but great vintages can mature for decades. (The 1989 and 1990 are still magnificent). The 2018 is being aged in 45% new oak and is made up of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
This has the luxurious kick of the Lynch Bages stable and is brilliant value for this level of quality. It seems to manage this every vintage and is just such a brilliant drinking wine. 2018 is another excellent year here, with deep fruitfulness of brambled hedgerow alongside liquorice and woodsmoke. It has a polyphenol index of 84IPT, so this is full of tannins but they don't feel overpowering. Tasted several times and always striking. 45% new oak. 3.57pH.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2036
The 2018 Les Ormes de Pez was a perplexing wine from barrel, when I felt it was unnaturally hedonistic. Now in bottle, it does not dispense with what is still a comparatively exotic bouquet for a Saint-Estèphe in this vintage: brash red fruit, kirsch and cassis aromas. This is quite seductive but it just misses the DNA of the appellation. The palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and corpulent, with saturated tannins and a ripe, licorice-tinged finish. I maintain that this is an enjoyable Les Ormes de Pez, but it is still not my favorite in recent years. 2022-2036
Blending 2018's succulence with the Cazes' muscular signature, the Ormes de Pez continues to improve in bottle. It is deep in colour and dark in fruit on the nose this year. Graphite, incense and cassis come in waves, together with spicy wood smoke. This follows on the palate, which is broad-shouldered but cloaked in ripe black fruit. Impressively concentrated in fruit, it retains the chalky grip typical of Saint Estephe. Rich, long and spicy on the finish, the fruit shines throughout, making this drinkable already with food. Enjoy over the next decade or more.
This is very dense and lively with blueberry and blackberry character. Lots of purple fruit at the end. Full body and powerful tannins. Spicy undertones with hints of black tea.
The 2018 Ormes de Pez is deep garnet-purple in color. It zips out with notes of kirsch, sassafras, and roses, with a core of warm cassis, blackberry pie, and cinnamon toast. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers intense red and black fruit layers, with ripe, grainy tannins and a vibrant, lifted finish.
Tasted blind. Marked acidity and not-quite-ripe tannins. Quite challenging at this point but there is fruit there and this may simply need time. 14.5%
Drink 2030 – 2045
41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot; 45% new oak. pH 3.57. Barrel sample.
Deep, dark black-cherry colour. Rich aroma of small, concentrated black berries and some toasty oak. Quite dry on the palate, especially in conjunction with the thick if rounded tannins. Really chewy but the fruit does sneak out again at the very end – it is there but hidden at the moment. (JH) 14.6%
Drink 2028-2038
Deep ruby colour with a spicy black-fruited nose, layered with toasty vanilla. The palate is supple, fleshy and sweet in cassis fruit, with succulent tannins that are well integrated already. There is a touch of spice from nutmeg and clove that adds to the complexity and savoury edge through to a long but forward finish. Very well made and ideal for drinking from its youth.
Emerging from the team at Lynch-Bages, the 2018 Château Ormes De Pez checks in as 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all brought up in just 45% new French oak. Lots of perfumed blue fruits, leafy tobacco, cedar, and spring flowers emerge from the glass, and it has a rocking core of sweet fruit balanced by ripe tannins and nicely integrated acidity. This fresh, lively, perfumed Saint-Estèphe is going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for 20-25+ in cold cellars.
(50 Merlot, 41 Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 Cabernet Franc, 2 Petit Verdot) | 45% new oak for 15 months | 13% alc | 40 hl/ha This is one of the finest young Ormes de Pez I have tasted. There is amazing intensity of fruit here and while the oak is quite powerful, there is more than enough intensity of flavour to get away with it. Well-made and a success in this vintage this is a wine which will age well, too.
The 2018 Les Ormes de Pez is matured in 45% new oak, with 14.6% alcohol and an IPT of 84. Jean-Charles Cazes told me that this year there is more Merlot due to restructuring of the vineyard so that there is no almost 50% every year. It has a glossy, opulent bouquet with black cherries, kirsch and blueberry fruit, slightly confit in style and to be honest, just missing Saint Estèphe typicity. The palate is again, sweet and rich with layers of black fruit laced with black pepper and spices. This is a wine that coats the mouth, voluminious and powerful, a hedonistic Les Ormes that is enjoyable, but not my favourite vintage in recent years. 2022-2036
A blend of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, aged in 45% new barriques, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Ormes de Pez comes tearing out of the glass with rambunctious notes of stewed black cherries, crème de cassis and raspberry pie, plus hints of Indian spices, dried Provence herbs and potpourri with a waft of woodsmoke. The full-bodied palate is decadently spicy with bags of black fruit preserves and a velvety texture, finishing long with lovely freshness. Drink: 2022 - 2037
Composed of 50% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot and aging in 45% new barriques, the deep purple-black colored 2018 Ormes de Pez leaps from the glass with vibrant blackberries, black cherries and mulberries scents plus touches of garrigue, tree bark and bay leaves. Medium to full-bodied with bags of muscular fruit, it has a firm, grainy texture and great freshness, finishing on an herbal lift.
