94pts James Suckling
Dark cherries, black currants, white pepper and graphite with a touch of dark chocolate and cigar box. I love the suppleness and the mid-palate fruit that give excellent width and flesh to this rather lean vintage. Medium to full body with more flesh than bones. The tannins are fine and sleek, and the finish, creamy and extensive. A commendable effort from this vintage. Shows lots of early appeal but will hold very well in the next five to seven years.
93pts The Wine Independent
The 2020 Pedesclaux has a deep garnet-purple color. It flies out of the glass with bright, energetic scents of cassis and crushed blackberries, followed by wafts of kirsch, violets, and underbrush. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, with fine-grained tannins and a mineral-laced finish.
93pts The Wine Cellar Insider
The first thing you notice is the beautiful sense of purity in the red fruits before finding all the flowers and leaves of tobacco. On the palate, the wine is vibrant, firm, fresh and layered with crushed rocks, currants, blackberries, and spice. The tannins are soft and ripe, with a gentle polish to the lifted, red fruits in the elegant finish. Give it a few years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 2 or more decades. Drink from 2025-2050
92pts Decanter
Gorgeous dark pinky purple rim to the glass. Beautifully expressive aromas, red and pink flowers - peonies, rose and violets and intense, chocolatey cola blackcurrant, just the best combination. Concentration and lift on the palate, this is darker and more seductive than the second wine, the perfume and the richness of the fruits with the dark liquorice tones draws you in and plays alongside the bright, light acidity. So you have focus and intensity as well as freshness and approachability. The two are not totally combined yet but such lovely elements going on and such precision on show. This has tension and a balance between refinement and power really led by the Cabernet Sauvignon. The bright cherry hit on the finish lingers too. A lovely set of wines this year - worth seeking out! 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.71pH. Ageing 60% new oak. 58% grand vin. A yield of 29hL/ha. In official organic conversion since 2019.
90pts Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pedésclaux is a strong effort that's turned out well in bottle, offering up aromas of cassis, dark berries, violets and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate with powdery tannins, lively acids and a vibrant core of fruit.
90pts Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Château Pédesclaux is solid, even outstanding, with classic Pauillac notes of graphite and lead pencil supported by beautiful cassis-driven fruit. Medium-bodied, elegant, and balanced, it has fine tannins, reasonable mid-palate depth, and a good finish. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it's well-made, has terrific purity of fruit, and I love its overall balance. It's going to benefit from just a few years of bottle age and should drink nicely for 10-15 years if well stored.
Winemaker's Notes
Château Pédesclaux 2021 is considered very close to classic vintages and has great potential for storing. It is characterized by a deep and dynamic nose, with notes of small black fruits and spices. The mouth, deliciously juicy, is led by an incredible tension on the palate. Its supple, textured tannins and its sapid finish allow Château Pédesclaux to assert its unique identity.
Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
History
The Chateau Pedesclaux was created in the beginning of the 19 century, in 1810, by Mr Pierre Urbain Pedesclaux, a well-known wine broker of Bordeaux. In 1855, the Chateau Pedesclaux was classified 5° great growth.
In 1891, the Count of Gastebois bought the property. It was the subject of a full reconstruction, which helped to improve the quality of the wines. After the death of Mr. de Gastebois in 1904, the administration of the estate is entrusted to his son-in-law, Count Bernard de Vesins. He bequeathed the property in 1919 to his grandchildren, the Count of Xavier Erceville and Count Michel du Lac. In 1928, the first crusher-de-stalker Médocain COQ brand is used at the Chateau Pedesclaux.
