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.

Plenty of Ormes de Pez sappy tannins and rich black fruit character, great quality, easy to recommend and should offer good value. No frost, and despite mildew pressure final yields of 51 hl/ha, 45% new oak, harvest September 14 through into October 4.

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.

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.