schiller-wine: Tour and Tasting at Château Ormez de Pez, Appellation Saint-Estèphe - Bordeaux Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Picture: Tour and Tasting at Château Ormez de Pez, Appellation Saint-Estèphe - Bordeaux Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Château Les Ormes de Pez is one of the three top estates owned by the Cazes family. We toured the estate and tasted wine from Château Les Ormes de Pez and Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac.

Kerstin Bauer, Guide Interprete, was our host.

Barry Bros & Rudd/ Chateau Les Ormes de Pez

Barry Bros & Rudd/ Chateau Les Ormes de Pez: Château Les Ormes de Pez is one of St-Estèphe`s leading Cru Bourgeois properties. It was bought by Jean-Charles Cazes in 1936 and is now owned and run by Jean-Michel Cazes. The latter owns Lynch-Bages. The estate is located just outside the village of Pez in the northern part of the St-Estèphe commune.

There are 32 hectares of vineyards, which lie on soils rich in gravel on a subsoil of sand and clay. They are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are hand-harvested and then fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats. The wine is then matured in a combination of one and two-year-old barrels from Lynch-Bages.

In the last decade, the wines have become richer and more fruit-driven - selection at harvest has become more rigorous and the proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the final blend has been increased. The wines normally require at least 5 years of bottle ageing to show at their best.

Picture: Arriving at Château Les Ormes de Pez in St. Estephe

History

Although Lynch-Bages is without a doubt the flagship of the Domaines Jean-Michel Cazes, Ormes de Pez belongs to the Medoc landscape since the 18th century. Purchased by Jean-Charles Cazes in the wake of the Second World War, the history of these two estates is closely linked.

At the time of the French Revolution, the current property was called the Domaine de Pez (meaning ''peace'' in the local dialect). As for the elms (''ormes'') that have appeared on the bottle labels since 2003, they grew on the grounds of the domaine until this mythical variety of tree ceased to grow in Europe in the 1950's.

From the 19th century onwards, the château had numerous owners (Southard and Pieck, Berthé, Carrère, Alibert, Meiners and Allemand, Eschenauer, Johnson, Miaihle), before becoming a part of the Cazes family.

In around 1880, Marie Cazes married Jean Guillou, the Ormes de Pez Cellar Master. He was sadly killed at the very beginning of the Great War and so Marie, a woman of great character, subsequently took over the business. Her brother Jean-Charles Cazes purchased Ormes de Pez in 1940.

Jean-Michel Cazes later redeveloped and modernised the traditional XVIII century buildings in the early 80's.

Terroir

In the North of the Saint-Estèphe commune, bordering the Pez hameau, the Ormes de Pez estate owes its name to a magnificent grove of elm trees which no longer exists today.

Château Ormes de Pez lies 60 km from Bordeaux on the Médoc peninsula. It benefits from a mild ocean climate thanks to its proximity to the estuary and the Atlantic ocean.

Its 35 hectares of vineyards consist of two very distinct terroirs: the Cabernets thrive on the gravelly parcels composed of quartz and rolled pebbles whereas Merlot is best-suited to the cooler, sandy-clay parcels. These parcels have good drainage properties and are representative of the Saint-Estèphe appellation.

Vines have an average age of 35 years and are planted at a density of 9,000 vines per hectare in accordance with the traditional Médoc planting ratio. Cabernet Sauvignon counts for 54% of plantings, complemented by 37% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

Pictures: Visiting the Cellar

Winemaking

Grapes are harvested by hand. Vinification takes place at the domaine. Grapes are divided into temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Alcoholic fermentation and maceration last for around 20 days during which progressive cycles of 'rack and return' and pumping over are carried out. This traditional winemaking method prioritises a gentle extraction of colours and tannins. The wine is then aged for around 15 months in French oak barrels, 45% of which are new oak.

Classification

In the 2003 listing that was later annulled, Château Les Ormes-de-Pez was classified as one of 9 Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels. It belongs to the group of six former Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel estates (Château Chasse Spleen, Château Les Ormes de Pez, Château de Pez, Château Potensac, Château Poujeaux and Château Siran) that have decided to remain outside the Cru Bourgeois Classification.

Château Haut-Batailley

In 2016, the Cazes family acquired the 40-hectare Château Haut-Batailley, the 1855 Grand Cru Classé estate in Pauillac.

Cazes Family Businesses at a Glance

Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac
Château Haut-Bages Averous (Lynch-Bages second wine)
Blanc de Lynch-Bages. Bordeaux AC. The white wine of Lynch-Bages
Château Cordeillan-Bages Pauillac
Château Haut-Batailley bought in 2016
Château Les Ormes de Pez St. Estephe
Château Villa Bel-Air Graves
Michel Lynch Bordeaux branded wine
Le Chapon Fin Restaurant in centre of Bordeaux
Domaine des Sénéchaux. Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône Valley
L’Ostal Cazes Minervois La Livinière, Southern France
Tappanappa (with Brian Croser and Champagne Bollinger, in Australia)
Xistu (with Quinta do Crasto, in Portugal)

Pictures: Tasting at Château Les Ormes de Pez in St. Estephe

Tasting

We tasted 2 wines.

2011 Château Les Ormes de Pez St. Estephe

Wine-searcher average price in US$:35

Owned by the well-known Cazes family of Lynch-Bages, this popular St.-Estephe has turned out a dark ruby/plum-colored 2011 with sweet cassis and black cherry fruit. A slightly short finish is present, but the wine has a good front end-loaded combination of fruit, extract and succulence. It's medium-bodied and tails off in the mouth, but it is well-made. Drink now-2019. Score: 86 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (212), April 2014

2011 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac

Wine-searcher average price in US$:105

The medium-bodied 2011 Lynch Bages possesses a saturated ruby/purple color as well as beautiful creme de cassis notes, a generous, concentrated, well-made, medium to full-bodied style and supple tannins. A successful effort in 2011, it should be drinkable in 3-4 years and last for 15+. It is a sleeper of the vintage. Drink 2017-2032. Score: 90 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (212), April 2014

Back in Pauillac

After the visit of Château Les Ormes de Pez in St. Estephe, we drove back to Pauillac for dinner at our hotel. Before dinner, we had the chance to enjoy a bit of the autumn sun in Pauillac.