2022 Chateau de Pez, Saint-Estephe, France (750ml)

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:

Blend: 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 59% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot

TASTING NOTES:

Black cherry and dark currant fruit is lightly mulled in feel, while sweet tobacco, chestnut leaf and singed alder notes wrap around it. The earth-tinged finish shows focus and poise. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

– Wine Spectator, 94 pts.

Serious depth and complexity on the nose, showing a refreshing touch of spearmint to the pure blue fruit, cassis and minerals plus a hint of incense and graphite. Powerful but polished and taut in tannins with a linear set of fruit on the medium- to full-bodied palate. Structured, fine-boned and well-dissolved with a fresh, lengthy finish. 38% cabernet sauvignon, 59% merlot, 2% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Great for aging.

– James Suckling, 94 pts.

The 2022 de Pez is a stellar wine. Plum, blood orange, exotic spice, cedar and new leather fill out the layers. Technical Director Nicolas Glumineau has increased the focus at Pez through stricter selection in the field and greater attention in the winerysomething made easier with the new cellar.

– Vinous, 94 pts.

Juicy red, blue, and black fruits, sappy herbs, violets, and chocolate notes all emerge from the 2022 Chteau De Pez, a ripe, full-bodied, opulent Pez that has a balanced, layered style that’s already hard to resist.

– Jeb Dunnuck, 94 pts.

Polished and charming, the 2022 de Pez bursts with aromas of blackberries, vanilla pod and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and velvety palate that’s integrated and expressive. This will offer a broad drinking window. As readers may remember, this estate has now been fully restructured and serves as something of a research and development laboratory for its sibling, Pichon Lalande, and director Nicolas Glumineau and his team have been working to bring more precision and purity to the wine.

– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 92 pts.