| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > St Julien |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This is one of the most improved Estates in all of Bordeaux. Now making a Saint Julien of top quality from 17 hectares of vines, planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc. The last few vintages have been of real super-second quality and have matched or beaten the big names in blind tastings.
Very pretty and typical for the appellation with aromas of blackcurrants, violets and sandalwood that follow through to a full body with layers of polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Lasts a long time on the palate. Classic structure. Drink after 2027.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre explodes with powerful creme de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries, and ripe plums scents, leading to hints of Indian spices and rose oil. Medium to full-bodied, lively, and with fine-grained tannins, it is chock full of ripe, juicy black fruits and finishes with a skip in its step.
A fleshy, sensual wine, the 2019 Saint-Pierre bursts from the glass with aromas of cherries, blackberries, burning embers and subtle spices. Full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it's seamless and polished, with a sweet core of fruit, melting tannins and succulent acids, concluding with a nicely defined finish. More overtly ripe than its stablemate Gloria, Saint-Pierre must be the most gourmand, immediate wine of Saint-Julien this year, and it's already drinking well on release. - drink 2021-2045
Owned by Domaines Martin, Saint-Pierre is situated just to the south of the village of Saint-Julien, on rather homogenous gravel-clay soils mostly clustered around the château—in notable contrast to its stablemate, Gloria, which is dispersed throughout the appellation on a variety of different soil types. This is an inherently riper site than the ensemble that constitutes Gloria, and that shows in a 2019 that's sensual and creamy, with a richer, more polished profile than the more classically proportioned Gloria. Winemaking, however, follows the same principles: vinification in stainless steel tank with regular but small pump-overs and at a rather low temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius, with extraction adapted in function of the maturity and quality of fruit, followed by élevage in barriques that are chosen with increasing exigence. So, if the 2019 is rich and gourmand, it's also supple and judiciously extracted.
The 2019 Saint-Pierre has a quintessential Saint-Julien nose, very well defined with blackberry, brown spices and cedar unfurling with each swirl. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh and full of tension. Good mid-weight depth, grippy yet fresh, with an appealing corpulence on the finish. Yummy! Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drink 2025-2050.
Deep ruby-purple colour. Intense, dark-fruited succulence on the nose, layered with cedar and sweet baking spices. The palate is fleshy with cassis fruit and plush with soft, seductive but persistent tannins. Spice and deep fruit build through the mid-palate, adding breadth without becoming too sweet or smoky. This is a highly polished and spicy wine, but the balance is finely judged throughout. Long, incense-lined finish. This should have a long and open drinking window. Moreish already.
Violet-edged, with sculpted fruit and an enticing mix of precision and generosity, with classic St Julien balance. Great depth of fruit, crushed rocks, smoked earth, tobacco. Takes time to show itself, but there is sweet blackberry fruit here, and a purity of expression that has clear long-term potential. At this point they were working 15% organic, before switching to 100% the following year. 49% new oak. Harvest September 23 to October 4, Eric Boissenot consultant.
Tasted blind. Bright crimson. Super-ripe nose, on which some tasters may find VA. An edge of black cherries and very ripe. Much sweeter than the average St-Julien. Fresh finish, but not that long. 14%
Drink 2026
– 2040
The 2019 is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Merlot, with a yield of 41hl/ha. It will be aged in 49% new French oak. Deep ruby in colour with an opulent, smoky nose of incense, tobacco and cassis. The palate follows with spicy oak interlaced with fleshy black fruit. The tannins are plentiful but ripe, giving a creamy and exotic texture. This concentrated and smoky wine is modern but not overdone, and will offer hedonistic pleasure with the right level of restraint.
I continue to love the wines from this château, and the 2019 Château Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is no exception, revealing a dense purple hue as well as a great nose of ripe blackcurrants, green tobacco, cedar pencil, and chocolate. With rock-solid concentration, medium to full body, ripe yet building tannins, and the vintage's pure, balanced character, give bottles 4-5 years and it will evolve nicely for 25+.
The 2019 Saint-Pierre has a little more intensity and ambition than the Gloria, offering intense blackberry, boysenberry, cedar and pencil box aromas; hints of iodine come through with time. The palate is medium-bodied, dense and saline, with sappy black fruit, fine acidity and hints of black olive lending complexity on the persistent finish. A great Saint-Julien.
The 2019 Saint-Pierre, the sibling of Gloria owned by Domaines Martin rather than the Right Bank estate, is an address that has rapidly become one of the go-to Saint-Juliens in recent years. The bouquet is exquisite: pure blackberry, raspberry and briary scents infused with cedar and hints of mocha, very well defined a little more generous than Gloria. The palate is fresh and detailed with grippy tannins. Very good structure here, a sturdy yet paradoxically elegant wine with a lip-smacking salinity on the long finish. Superb, absolutely superb. Drink 2025 - 2050.
This shows chocolate, hazelnut and dark-fruit character. It’s full-bodied and delicious already, maintaining a real sense of balance and harmony.
Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Saint-Pierre comes shooting out of the glass with vibrant scents of crushed black and red currants, black raspberries and boysenberries with touches of lavender, tilled soil, pencil shavings and camphor plus a waft of red roses. The medium-bodied palate is charged with energy, featuring densely packed, muscular black and red fruits with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. Make no mistake, this estate is on a roll!
Touch of flint reduction, good quality, this layers on cassis, kirsch, black chocolate, tobacco, slate and grilled cedar. Not subtle, but there is balance to its exuberance, and plenty of concentrated muscular tannins. Give it the full 10 years in bottle before beginning to drink. 55% new oak.
A powerful St Julien, bedded and knitted down with layers of cassis and bilberry fruits, crushed stone and baked earth, along with a gentler waft of tobacco and black pepper spice. Needs time to open, this is a confident wine with a ton of tannin, and will require a bit of patience but you'll be richly rewarded. 55% new oak. Drinking Window 2028 - 2044
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot.
Modest, low-key correct and dry, fully ripe St-Julien fruit. Pretty marked inky tannins with a hint of the sea. There's something just a little bit raw. 14%
Drink 2027 – 2043
