Château Saint-Pierre 1996

Tasting Characteristics and Notes for Château Saint-Pierre 1996

Tasting Notes

Appearance
The colour of this red wine reveals a ruby hue that has lightened with time, revealing subtle brick-red highlights characteristic of its maturity.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet proves wonderfully complex. It exudes intense aromas of blackcurrant intertwined with notes of cedar, tobacco and pencil shavings. With time, seductive tertiary notes of leather, earth and chocolate have come to enrich the whole.

Palate
Medium-bodied, the palate offers a robust structure whose tannins, initially firm, have softened over the years. The tasting experience, marked by an elegant underlying sweetness, ends on a finish with blackcurrant accents.

Food and Wine Pairing
This red wine pairs beautifully with grilled or roasted red meats, such as a rib steak or a rib of beef with mushrooms. It also enhances game in sauce, noble poultry such as roast duck, as well as pressed cooked-curd cheeses like an aged Comté.

Serving and Cellaring
This 1996 vintage has now passed its peak and should be enjoyed now to fully appreciate its tertiary aromas. It is recommended to serve it at a temperature of around 16°C.

The Elegance and Depth of a Saint-Julien Wine

The Estate
Founded in 1767 by Baron Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Pierre, Château Saint-Pierre is a historic estate in the Bordeaux region of France. Classified as a fourth growth in 1855, it stands out for its intimate size of 17 hectares, making it the most secret of the classified growths in its appellation. After various divisions, the estate was reunified in 1982 by Henri Martin. Today, the Triaud family runs this Médoc gem with a commitment to preserving the pure expression of its terroir.

The Vineyard
Located in the heart of the village of Saint-Julien-Beychevelle, the vineyard sits on deep, well-drained gravel rises near the Gironde estuary. The vines, with an exceptional average age of around 60 years, are deeply rooted in this warm soil, naturally regulating yields. The estate practises rigorous plot-by-plot selection to guarantee the highest quality grapes within the Saint-Julien appellation.

The Vintage
1996 is recognised as a strong vintage on Bordeaux's left bank. After an uneven start to the growing season, a particularly dry and sunny back end to the year allowed the berries to reach optimal phenolic ripeness. The harvest, though late, produced healthy grapes with a solid constitution.

Winemaking and Ageing
For this 1996 vintage, the work in the cellar took place during a period of transition for the estate. The wine was aged in oak barrels, lending the juice noble woody nuances that blend with the fruit without masking it, while extraction was carefully managed to preserve the balance of the structure.

Grape Varieties
The estate's vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (15%), Petit Verdot (3%) and Cabernet Franc (2%).