Collection: Saint-Estephe

The northernmost municipal appellation of the Médoc covers almost 1,400 hectares of vineyards and is more rural. The soil is heavier and more calcareous than further south, which is why the proportion of Merlot is higher here. The wines, which have a slightly less bouquet but are powerful and long-lasting, do not, on average, come close to the best Médoc wines. This is mainly because the wines of this appellation have very pronounced tannins, which often only soften after decades of storage. In the past, Saint-Estèphe wines were hardly drinkable when they were young. For this reason, some producers tried to produce softer and more pleasant wines, which almost always resulted in a loss of quality. Today, the known problems are compensated for by a higher proportion of Merlot and more sophisticated cellar technology. In general, however, people in Saint-Estèphe are returning to tradition and have been able to produce very great wines in the recent past.

This is especially true for the very hot years of 2003, 1990 and 1989. The heavier clay soils in the north retain moisture better and for longer than the water-draining gravel soils of the more southerly Médoc, which allows the Merlot grapes to ripen fully and thus forms a counterbalance to the tannic Cabernets. In great vintages, Saint-Estèphe wines therefore offer some of the best value for money, not only among the classified estates, but also among the Crus Bourgeois.