Château Pédesclaux 2023

Château Pédesclaux is a classified estate in Pauillac, the Médoc commune behind some of Bordeaux's most powerful reds, revived by the Lorenzetti family since 2009. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon led with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the vineyards are farmed organically. Pauillac is built on deep beds of Günzian gravel, among the poorest and best-drained soils in the Médoc, which force the vine's roots down and ripen Cabernet Sauvignon fully, giving the fruit its cassis depth, its structure and the cedar note that develops with age. Merlot and Cabernet Franc round the blend with softer fruit and perfume. The 2023 spent sixteen months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange builds and then polishes the tannins and adds spice and a fine toast. This is a serious, structured Pauillac. The colour is deep, the nose shows ripe cherry and plum, dark chocolate, cedar and delicate spice; the palate is full and dense, the tannins firm and ripe, the finish long and savoury. It will improve for years in the cellar. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. Ideal with beef and lamb.