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Louis Roederer in St Estèphe
It was the Romans who first planted vines in St- Estèphe. The commune is one of the northernmost of the Haut-Médoc and its location on the banks of the Gironde provides it with a very specific terroir. Located just west of the village of St Estèphe, the estate of 30 hectares has 26 hectares under vine, planted with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The vineyard dominates a high plateau with well-exposed slopes. At the summit there is a deep layer of Günzian gravel overlying the clay and limestone bedrock of St Estèphe. Here the Cabernet Sauvignon thrives on the free draining soils whilst Merlot dominates on the lower slopes with heavier clay soils. The plantings contain many old vines, averaging 30 years of age. Alongside Château Calon Ségur, Château de Pez is the oldest viticultural estate in St-Estèphe. First created in the 15th century, the estate was first governed by squire Jean de Briscos from 1452 onwards. In 1526 the noble Ducos took it over followed by Jean de Pontac in 1585. It is to the Pontac family, who also founded Haut-Brion, that Pez owes its early glory as a vineyard. The Château stayed with the family up until the Revolution, and was governed successively by the Marquis d’Aulède and the Comte de Fumel, who was also Commandant de la Province de Guyenne. Sold as a national asset after the Revolution, Pez belonged successively to the Tarteiron, Balguerie, Lawton, du Vivier, Bernard and Dousson families. In June 1995 it was purchased by Champagne Louis Roederer. Following this purchase Roederer immediately set about improving the vineyards and cellars. 1996 was the first vintage fully made under the new ownership, and quality has been improving ever since. The wines of Château de Pez have an attractive tannic structure worthy of further ageing. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘Pomerols’ of St-Estèphe, in part due to the smooth roundness brought to the wine by the Merlot vines grown on the exceptional soils. They tend to be dark in colour and have great length, body and distinction and are best appreciated after 5+ years.
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