A brilliant St 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, cinammon 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, on its second year of optical sorting at this point.

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! Read more at https://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/bordeaux/chateau-ormes-de-pez-st-estephe-bordeaux-france-2016-10909#wzY81CyZwMFwZ5GA.99

A terrific Saint-Estephe 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 to go with notes of ripe black cherries, graphite, smoked earth, and background oak. Beautifully textured, it’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for two decades.

Loads of crushed rocks, fresh, bright red fruits and ripe, soft tannins. The wine had depth, length and the ability to age, leaving with you a blast of sweet, juicy, dark red fruit in the finish. This is clearly the best vintage yet for Les Ormes de Pez. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2016&wine=Chateau%20Les%20Ormes%20de%20Pez

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.

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. — JM