2018 Chateau Ormes de Pez Ormes de Pez
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Tasting notes
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. (JR)
Critic scores
James Suckling
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
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.
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.