Château de Pez
The little village of Pez, near St Estèphe, is home to a number of cru bourgeois properties, a number of which reward investigation, even if their renown is much less than that enjoyed by the superstars of the same commune, namely Montrose, Cos d’Estournel and Calon-Ségur. Perhaps the most widely appreciated is Ormes de Pez, a château which, through the quality of its wines and perhaps also its membership of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, not to mention the long tenure of the Cazes family, seems to have a broad and appreciative following.
Just next-door, however, is Château de Pez, an estate which, since the takeover in the 1990s by the Rouzaud family, perhaps better known for their successful stewardship of Champagne Roederer, is increasingly worthy of our attention.
Origins
The estate dates back to at least the 15th century, giving some credence to the claim that Château de Pez is, along with Château Calon-Ségur, one of the oldest properties in St Estèphe. History tells us that in 1452 the estate was in the ownership of Jean de Briscos. Exact details of how the property then passed to subsequent owners are unclear, but by 1526 the proprietor was named Ducos, and by 1585 the land was in the hands of Jean de Pontac. The Pontac family are, of course, best known for their long association with Château Haut-Brion. It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that it is Jean de Pontac who is widely credited with establishing viticulture on the Pez estate.
The family history of Jean de Pontac and numerous generations of his descendants is well described in my Haut-Brion profile, so it seems superfluous to repeat it all here. Suffice to say it remained in the family for many years, as it seemed to have followed the same line of inheritance as this grander estate. Briefly, this means the property was passed to Jean’s son the heirless Arnaud II de Pontac (died 1605), followed by nephew Geoffroy de Pontac (died 1641), Arnaud III de Pontac (1599 – 1641), the latter a hugely influential figure in the history of both properties, as it was he who sent his son François-Auguste de Pontac (1636 – 1694) to establish the family’s inn, The Pontack’s Head, in London.
