2019 CHÂTEAU PEDESCLAUX 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU PEDESCLAUX

2020 5ème Cru Classé Pauillac

Grapes Merlot, Cab Sauv, Petit Verdot, Cab Franc
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Pauillac
Classification 5ème Cru Classé

A crunchy and fresh 2020 with sliced oranges and redcurrants as well as cedar and nutmeg. Full-bodied with very firm and tight tannins. Bright finish. Crushed stone at the end as well. Needs three to five years to soften. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 34% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. First year with organic farming. Try after 2027. Rating: 95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)


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The 2020 Pédesclaux is a powerhouse. The tannins are a bit less searing than they were en primeur, but only slightly. Dark fruit, chocolate, leather, spice and licorice struggle to emerge. This feels pushed. Pédesclaux is a Pauillac that relies more on power than finesse. Drinking range: 2023 - 2030 Rating: 87 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

Matured in 55% new oak, the 2020 Pédesclaux, has a very Cabernet-driven nose as indeed, this Pauillac estate has been gradually moving towards the variety in recent years. Blackberry, freshly-rolled tobacco and light pencil box notes. This is clean and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, fresh and fleshy, yet there is backbone here with a gentle but insistent grip towards the smooth finish. Maybe it just needs a little more complexity overall, but this should still drink well for the next two decades. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

I rarely see this wine during my En Primeur travels and so it is nice to have the chance to taste it this year. This is a success for Pédesclaux and it is relatively forward-drinking, too, which makes it a change of pace for a Pauillac. Dark fruited and a touch spicy, what I like most about this wine is that the tannins and oak are very much under control. Rating: 16.5 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)

Château Pédesclaux

Fascinating visit here with the winemaker Catarina Freitas in 2012. Catarina showed us the map of the parcels which were owned by the property at the time that it was bought in 2009, and then two others, showing how, by purchases and swaps, they has vastly reduced the number of parcels and are consolidating the vineyard.

This was also where we first saw Alessandro Masnaghetti's maps of the area, which is a fascinating insight into where all these wines actually come from.

Catarina explained that as a result of the strength of the co-operative movement in Saint Estèphe and northern Pauillac, properties passed down though families often got split into tiny plots. The previous owner, in a rush to expand the surface area, bought what he could. Sometimes this was just a couple of rows of vines in the middle of someone else's vineyard. This made vineyard management harder, and also made it difficult to see clearly what they had at vinification - it was impossible to vinify every tiny bit separately.

Winemaking includes pre-fermentary cold maceration that can last up to an astonishing fifty days. Like properties such as Charmail, they tried using dry ice to cool the harvest so as to make sure the fermentation did not start, but from 2011 on they are using a new method, which I have not come across anywhere before, which is to hold the harvested grapes in a cold room at 3C for twenty-four hours before beginning the egrappage and final sortings and putting them into vats.

We were also shown the proposed new winery, which will use the natural slope of the built part of the property down to the Gironde. It will be built into the hill and use gravity thoughout to avoid pumping. Make no mistake, there intent is very serious here and its a name to look out for.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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