2011 Château de Pez - Saint-Estèphe - 5 Bottles (0.75L)

Château de Pez is one of Bordeaux's oldest wine estates, situated in the western part of Saint-Estèphe. The wine is based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in roughly equal measures.

The property covers around 48 contiguous hectares (118 acres), of which about 42ha (103 acres) is under vine. Around 50 percent of plantings are Cabernet Sauvignon, with 43 percent Merlot, 4 percent Petit Verdot and 3 percent Cabernet Franc.

The proportion of Merlot has increased since the Rouzaud family of Champagne Louis Roederer took over the property in 1995. Before this Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for about 70 percent of the planted area. The family has invested heavily in both the vineyards and in winemaking equipment.

The vineyard sits on a high plateau, sloping from 18 meters in the south to 12 meters in the north (60 to 40ft). Soils are comprised of about a meter of Günzian gravel over the Saint-Estèphe bedrock of limestone and clay. Old ditches drain water towards the roads which surround the property.

Vines are planted at 1.2m x 1.2m intervals, which equates to 6944 vines per hectare (about 2,800 per acre). A single rootstock is used; Riparia Gloire.

The cellars were thoroughly modernized in 2018. They were re-organized to allow for separate vinification of individual vineyard parcels, which are harvested manually.