“An estate that continues to shine, the 2018 Château Pédesclaux is a rich, ripe, sexy Pauillac…” – Jeb Dunnuck

What if I told you that, in this day and age, in the same ritzy glitzy Pauillac neighborhood as Mouton and Pontet-Canet, there is this tiny little hidden gem of a classified growth, whose 2018 can be had TODAY only, for under $55?!

Jeb saw the future, when out of a barrel tasting he came claiming that “this estate has made leaps and bounds in terms of quality over the past decade, and my money is on the 2018 Château Pédesclaux being the best to date.”

Did we mention the 95 points?! And how time in the bottle has elevated it beyond that?

Per a Decanter article, “Following the purchase of Pédesclaux by French Swiss real-estate investor Jacky Lorenzetti in 2009, there has been dramatic investment in both vineyard and production facilities. The aims of the new ownership were illustrated at a vertical tasting of 9 recent vintages, held in London in January 2024. The vintages: 2014-2022 showed significant improvements in quality… highly respected oenologist Éric Boissenot has been Pédesclaux’s consultant since 2013.”

Boissenot, who is “Bordeaux’s Secret Weapon” per Wine Spectator, also consults for Mouton, Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Léoville Las Cases, Palmer, Pichon Comtesse, Pichon Baron, Ducru-Beaucaillou, Léoville Barton, Brane Cantenac, Gruaud-Larose… you name it! The average price you’d pay for one of those in the 2018 vintage now? $200+ easily.

Back to Decanter to emphasize why this is a smashing deal: “In 2014, a completely new, gravity-fed, production facility became operational, together with dramatic changes to the original Château building… Château Pédesclaux is benefitting from the investments made under the Lorenzetti family ownership and, from the wines tasted, the estate is delivering in its quest for ‘freshness and balance…’ this is one Pauillac classed growth which is well worth considering, both for quality and value.”

Value, indeed. Crazy good value at our price. And quality? Right up there with the best, age has done wonders with firmer tannins of youth. It reveals that classic cedary, open-knit, Pauillac nose with an emphasis on blackcurrants. Round, sweet, and generous flavors enhance a silky, evolved personality that caresses the palate and lingers long into a seductive, complex finish.

Sunday funday, this offer won’t last the day.

95 Points – James Suckling “Aromas of blackcurrants, lavender, gravel, dried leaves, spice box and bitter chocolate. It’s full-bodied with firm, well integrated tannins. Creamy and succulent with a solid core of ripe fruit and a long, caressing finish. Grows on the palate. Try from 2025.”

94+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck “An estate that continues to shine, the 2018 Château Pedesclaux is a rich, ripe, sexy Pauillac offering loads of ripe cassis fruits as well as lead pencil, chocolate, and violets. Seemingly even richer now from bottle than barrel, it’s full-bodied and has a round, concentrated mouthfeel, lots of ripe tannins, good freshness, and a great finish. A rich, powerful Pauillac, it’s going to need 4-6 years to shed some baby fat but should be very long-lived.”

92-94 Points – Wine Advocate “Pédesclaux was purchased in late 2009 by real estate mogul, Jacky Lorenzetti. In addition to the purchase of Pédesclaux and its 26 hectares of vineyards, Lorenzetti was also able to acquire an additional 12 hectares of vineyards planted at 10,000 vines per hectare that sit atop the Milon plateau (their rows are interspersed with those of Mouton and Lafite). The total vineyard acreage in 2018 was 49.7 hectares with an average vine age of 35 years. The soils are typically gravelly atop a clay subsoil. It will spend an estimated 16 months on the lees in barrels, 60% new and 40% second year. The blend is 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, and it has 13.96% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Pedesclaux comes charging out of the gate with rambunctious baked plums, warm cassis and Morello cherries scents plus hints of spice cake, menthol and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating black fruits and spicy accents, with a soft, fine-grained frame, finishing long.”

93 Points – Decanter “These guys have really started to make an impact on Pauillac’s landscape over the past few vintages and do so again here. It’s not quite up to the brilliant delivery of 2016, but this is firm, vibrant, bright and full of promise, with tannins that layer up slowly and stealthily, then present you with a cheque. There is clear austerity on the attack but then it opens up to show purity and precision of the fruit, with a sweetness to the berries making it seem likely that seven or eight years will be plenty before this is limbered and ready to go. Drink 2025-2038.”