While Lynch-Bages is unquestionably the flagship of Domaines Jean-Michel Cazes, Château Ormes de Pez has been part of the Médoc wine-growing landscape since the 18th century.  Around 1880, Marie Cazes married Jean Guillou, the master winemaker of Ormes de Pez, who unfortunately killed in the first hours of the Great War and Marie, woman of character, then takes the lead. In 1940, his brother Jean-Charles Cazes bought Ormes de Pez and later rehabilitated and modernized the old classic buildings by Jean-Michel Cazes. 

Saint-Estephe is located marginally further away from the gravel-bearing waters of the Garonne river, and the soil here is far less stony than that found in the southern part of Haut-Medoc. Instead, a heavy clay base dominates this area, resulting in poorer-draining soils, delayed ripening and higher acidity levels in the wine. These factors mean that Saint-Estephe's blended wine are predominantly made from Merlot, as it performs better on clay soils than Cabernet Sauvignon. Because these wine are often austere and tight in youth, Merlot also serves to soften the palate.