De Pez 2018 (750ML)

94 JD / 94 WE / 93 JS / 92 VM / 92 WA / 92 DE / 92 WS

From the team of Nicolas Glumineau at Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, the 2018 Château De Pez is a gorgeous 2018 that should be on every Bordeaux lover's radar (and should be a great value as well). Notes of blackcurrants, blueberries, candied violets, and graphite define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, rockingly polished tannins, terrific purity, and a great finish. It's terrific and is going to have 15-20 years or more of longevity. The blend is 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. - Jeb Dunnuck

Under the same Rouzaud family ownership as Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, this estate has produced a structured wine. It offers dense and solid tannins, rich with a firm texture and black currant fruits. The wine has weight and density that need aging. Drink from 2026. — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

Spices and dark berries with some nutmeg and cedar. Medium to full body, really polished tannins and a refined and pretty finish. So fine. Tight yet balanced. Give it three or four years to open. Try after 2023. - James Suckling

The 2018 Château de Pez was shut when I tasted it from cask with winemaker Nicolas Glumineau, so much so that I felt it was inappropriate to score it because I felt there was a great wine lurking behind that door. And so it turned out. Now in bottle, this has a gorgeous bouquet of lifted blackberry, graphite and flinty aromas, razorsharp in terms of delineation. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grained tannins and a subtle marine influence that becomes more prominent with aeration. The oak is wonderfully integrated and the focus very finished. This is one of the best Château de Pez that I have tasted, but it clearly needed to wait until it was in bottle to show its potential. -- Neal Martin, Vinous Media

A blend of 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2018 de Pez leaps from the glass with vibrant black cherries, ripe blackberries and blackcurrant pastilles notes, giving way to nuances of black olives, lavender and forest floor. The medium-bodied palate offers nicely rounded tannins and a lively backbone to counter the bold fruit, finishing savory. - Lisa Perotti-Brown, Wine Advocate

Always an extremely classy St-Estèphe, and this is an excellent wine that has restraint but punch, and plenty of cassis and blackberry fruits, with a governing hand of tannins that are never overdone. - Jane Anson, Decanter

Fresh red currant and bitter cherry notes are laced with floral and chalk notes. Piercing in feel through the finish, with the fruit and minerality in lockstep as a touch of cedar appears, leaving a mouthwatering edge. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2032. - JM, Wine Spectator