I had a marvelous visit to this château yesterday. This estate, which like Lafon-Rochet (and about half of Château d’Issan) is owned by the Jacky Lorenzetti family, has made large investments in recent years in its vineyards and its chai, including an entirely gravity-flow cellar. Even the déléstage uses only gravity; all the grapes and all the liquids that require being elevated are transported by elevator so that no pumps or conveyors are used. I’ve seen gravity winemaking, but the completeness of this was remarkable to see. Expect to see the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon rising in the future as they replace older vines.
After touring the facilities, their kind host Nathan Trezeres took me to their glass-enclosed tasting room overlooking the vineyard, where he poured samples of five distinctly different vintages: 2022, 2019, 2017, 2015 and the tricky 2013. My notes follow; all wines were bone dry.
2022: Some people have written that 2022 Bordeaux is often ready to drink now; that is certainly not the case with this wine, which is a clear deep purple in the glass. After a bit of mustiness blows off (I noticed this with all but the 2015), shy aromas of blackberry, cassis and sumac were evident; on the palate the wine exhibited additional notes of anise, tar and smoke, with pronounced intensity; full body, just high alcohol at 14%, tannin and acidity both pronounced. Long finish but not exceptionally so. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 3% petit verdot; I rate it 93-94 points, but this wine has a whole lot of development to do and could become much, much better.
2019: Interestingly this wine showed the slightest bit of browning edges around its clear deep ruby core; the shy nose exhibited cassis and shouted CABERNET SAUVIGNON and oak as was also evident on the palate; showed medium+ intensity, medium+ body, alcohol again just high, pronounced tannin and acidity and again a long finish without being exceptional. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot, 6% cabernet franc and 2% petit verdot. This is a delightful wine for current consumption but promises to age well for at least 10 more years. 92 points was my score.
2017: I’ve had very few truly enjoyable '17s, but Pédesclaux rose to the challenge with this wine. Clear deep ruby in the glass, a bit less reluctant on the nose with more floral notes (roses and violets) accompanying the cassis and blackberry, which were joined on the palate by a trace of grapefruit (!) and stone fruit (!) to create interest; medium+ intensity and medium+ body were joined by pronounced tannin and acidity, again with a firm and long finish. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc. I scored this 94 points, and recommend getting your hands on some. Great effort in a somewhat challenging vintage.
2015: A tour-de-force for the Lorenzettis’ crew. Deep clear ruby in the glass, with pronounced aromas of blackberry, sumac and cassis that are joined on the palate by tar, licorice, Morello cherry and blueberry; pronounced intensity, full body, tannin and acidity both high with alcohol medium; finish exceptionally long and delicious. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot. I score this 95 points and find it to be fantastic value at 46 euros at the château. Bought two bottles. Highly recommended
2013: This difficult vintage produced few stars, and Pédesclaux did not produce one, either. But I was genuinely surprised at how drinkable this was, and imagined it to be a fine accompaniment to a pork chop or even a plate of pasta. Clear ruby trending to garnet in the glass, it displayed the mustiness that blew off to reveal some nice cassis, vanilla and cherry aromas that gained little complexity on the palate; lean on the palate, with some asparagus and pepper notes; medium body and intensity, pronounced tannin and acidity, medium alcohol with a surprisingly lengthy finish. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. I scored this 88 points and would not complain if served to me anytime.