Château Saint-Pierre 2021

Shows clear cassis, cool smoke, a noble roasted note, and mineral hints. Sleek palate, subtly creamy texture, very composed, well-judged tannins, long, red-fruited, harmonious finish.

The 2021 Saint-Pierre offers up an exotic bouquet of sweet cassis, plums, spices and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it’s unusually rich and opulent for the vintage, with a broad attack, polished tannins and a creamy, oak-inflected finish. This classy Saint-Julien will offer a broad drinking window.

Fresh and sleek for the vintage, with focused red and black currant coulis notes dotted with potpourri and savory elements. The finish lets in a cast-iron edge. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2031. 5,416 cases made.

High acidity, bright and tangy then creamy and soft. Gentle persistence, smooth tannins and nice just-ripe blackcurrant and black cherry. It’s quite savoury, with some dry, almost green and chalky tannins on the finish. A good example, perhaps missing a touch more vibrancy and lift, but it’s structured and well balanced with concentration.

Medium-bodied, fresh, vibrant, forward and minty, you also find nuances of coffee beans and flowers that accompany the bright, crisp, red fruits. The wine finished with energetic, red cherries with a savory, herbal touch in the endnote. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2025-2045.

Dark ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle ochre brightening on the rim. Ripe wild berries, sweet cherries, some liquorice and rum with a subtle touch of nougat in the background, inviting bouquet. Medium body, subtle sweetness, ripe tannins, salty nuances on the finish, a versatile food wine.

A château that readers need to have on their radar, the 2021 Chateau Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) reveals a deep purple hue as well as medium-bodied aromas and flavors of spicy currants, black cherries, leafy tobacco, and graphite, with nicely integrated background oak. Medium-bodied, round, and supple, with solid mid-palate density as well as a good sense of elegance in its tannins, this textbook, impressive Saint-Julien will shine for a solid 15-20 years if well stored. The 2021 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 14 months in barrel.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 34 hl/ha, 13.3% alc. vol., production 70,000 bottles) Dense, dark, velvety bouquet, black cassis, black berries, cedar, currants, dark tobacco, truffle. Densely woven, powerful, aromatic palate with a finely muscular, creamy structure, intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, complex, robust dark aromatics, very long, dense, full finish.

(70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 34 hl/ha, 13.3% vol. alcohol, production 70,000 bottles) Dense, dark, velvety bouquet, black cassis, black berries, cedar, currants, dark tobacco, truffle. Densely interwoven, powerful, aromatic palate with a finely muscular, creamy structure, intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannin, a varied, powerful dark aromatic profile, very long, dense, full finish. 19/20 2029 - 2060

Good depth of flavour through the opening and mid palate, acidity high on the finish but well balanced by damson, black cherry and raspberry fruits, and given lift by plenty of cloves and turmeric spice. Will benefit from a few more years in bottle, but one of the real pleasures of 2021 is that even classified estates can be approached earlier than usual. 34hl/h yield, first year organic conversion, Jean-Michel Comme consultant, Jean Triaud director. Tasted twice.

The 2021 Saint-Pierre is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of cassis, raspberry coulis, and fresh blackberries spill from the glass, leading to suggestions of crushed rocks, iris bulb, and cardamom. The medium-bodied palate has great balance and bright black and red berry layers, supported by grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing on a fragrant earth note.

The cru keeps surprising us with its new style, far more defined and precise, closer to the fruit. This 2021 is juicy and sapid on the palate, all about fruit, with caressing tannins on the finish. Cellar it with complete confidence.

The nose is packed with opulent, complex aromas, both mineral and ripe-fruited. On the palate, the wine is refined, energetic, mouthwatering, with a limpid, silky texture. Lovely gourmet notes of coffee and grainy tannins emerge on the finish.

Saint-Pierre reveals itself with finesse and precision. Often marked by its élevage during en primeur tastings, it later brings its subtlety and potential to the forefront. Granted, the 2021 does not have the depth we might expect from the cru, but it offers an energizing acidic structure and tannins that will carry it through the years—indeed, even decades—to come! A wine that will soon be approachable, with solid potential.

Dark, intense, purple color. Lovely, highly aromatic nose with pure fruit, reminiscent of blackberry jelly. Refined floral nuances. Meticulous on entry, well-centered on the mid-palate, very flavorful with a supple texture; the wine melts on the palate, pleasant and long, with discreet tannins. Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.1% - pH: 3.77 - IPT: 75. Harvest from September 27 to October 9. This is the estate’s first vintage in organic conversion.