Located west of the town of Saint-Estèphe, Château les Ormes de Pez has belonged to the Cazes family of Château Lynch Bages since the 1940s. Ormes is French for “elm trees,” and although the eponymous grove of trees has long since disappeared, the label depicts a stylized elm. The 37-hectare vineyard is planted with 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Replanting is done with mass selection from within the vineyard.
There are two main soil types: gravel overlaying quartz and river stones for the the Cabernets and clay-sandy soil for Merlot. Proximity to the the Gironde Estuary (just 3 km.), accounts for a temperate microclimate.
The wine is made in conjunction with the team from Lynch Bages and aged in 50% new oak barrels.
Designated a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2003, the estate decided not to be included in the revised 2025 classification. In terms of reputation, Les Ormes de Pez is widely seen as one of the best crus bourgeois of Saint-Estèphe, on a par with Phélan Ségur and nearby Haut Marbuzet. Prices are reasonable, and the wine has a regular international following.
I checked my cellar book and saw that I had just one bottle of Les Ormes de Pez, from the 2009 vintage. I am a great fan of the 2009s, frequently preferring them to the more heralded 2010s. I figured that the wine should be ready to go and decanted it two hours ahead of Sunday lunch.
At age 17, this Ormes de Pez was medium-old in appearance, with a browning rim. The most salient feature of the bouquet was the blackcurrant aromas so typical of fine Médoc, completed by truffle notes along with a bloody and ferrous component. The latter followed through onto the palate to the extent that, if served blind, and overlooking the very Bordeaux finish, I might have taken it for an Hermitage! Anyway, this Ormes de Pez combined a textbook Médoc Cabernet flavor with the virile side of Saint-Estèphe. This made it a fine wine at table, to match a veal stew, but on its own a rather dry finish came to the fore. This aftertaste was tannic, but a little leathery and neither polished nor resolved. My English friends would advise holding on to the wine longer for the tannin to round out, but I fear that this would be at the expense of the fruit…
Therefore, in my opinion, this was a good time to drink 2009 Les Ormes de Pez – a distinctly vinous wine with meatiness and plenty of character, if not the most elegant profile.