Founded in the 17th century, Chateau Saint-Pierre is considered one of the oldest in Medoc. From 1693 the archives confirmed the existence of a wine estate known as Seracan, owned by Marquis de Cheverry. In 1767 Baron de Saint-Pierre bought the estate and gave it his name. After his death in 1832, his two daughters shared the inheritance. One, who married to Colonel Bontemps-Dubarry, received half of the vineyards, the cellars, and the chateau; the other one, married to a Swede Mr. de Luetkens, who also owned La Tour Carnet, received the remaining vineyards.
The two halves, which were being run separately and under two labels, did receive the top of list of 4th grands crus in the 1855 classification. In 1892 Mrs. de Luetkens sold her shares to Leon Sevaistre, who already owned Chateau Saint-Louis in St-Julien, changing the label to Saint-Pierre-Sevaistre. The other half continued to be under Saint-Pierre-Bontemps-Dubarry. But their vineyards were gradually sold off, and by 1920 all that remained was the chateau, cellars, brand name, and 1 hectare of land. In 1922, Antwerp merchant brothers Pierre and Charles Van den Bussche brought the two halves of the estates together, except for the cellars which had been bought by Alfred Martin, a cooper.
His son, Henri Martin, bought the Chateau Saint-Pierre house in 1981, and then in 1982, acquired the estate from the heirs of the Van den Bussche family, reuniting Chateau Saint-Pierre and the 17 hectares of vineyards.
Henri Martin was born into a family that had lived in Medoc for over three hundred years. Grandson of a cellar master at Chateau Gruaud-Larose and son of cooper from village of Beychevelle, he is keen to seek out noble parcels of land, successfully negotiated the purchase of parcels that formed part of Saint-Julien’s cru classe vineyards to set up Chateau Gloria.
After acquiring Chateau Saint-Pierre, he also bought Chateau Bel Air. The total properties now cover over 100 hectares, manage by his daughter Francoise, son-in-law Jean-Louis Triaud and grandchildren Vanessa and Jean Triaud.
The parcels of vineyard are widely spread from close to the cemetery in St-Julien to the chateau in St-Julien-Beychevelle, with the soils mainly sandy gravel with a proportion of clay. Average vine age is 40 years.
The wine is vinified in cellars shared with Chateau Gloria, which had been modernized in 1991 and further improved in 2008 with addition of small stainless-steel tanks having integrated temperature control. In 1998 the barrel park was renewed, and now the wine is aged in 60% new oak.
The wine is matured for 14-16 months in casks, with half being renewed every year. Annual production is about 75,000 bottles. The blend is made from 70-85% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The second wine is called ‘Esprit de Saint-Pierre’, made in the same way as Chateau Saint-Pierre but allow earlier drinking.
I have tasted the 2004 Chateau Saint-Pierre on 22 Sep 2013, and it shows reasonably intense nose of black fruit and prune, toasted oak, mocha, liquorice and earth, with hints of leather as well. Still a bit too early for its potential at the moment, the palate is robust with decent concentration in flavours and fair on the length. Rating: 91.
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I have also tasted the 2009 Chateau Saint-Pierre on 19 Sep 2022, with the wine having a very good nose, wonderful complexity, showing plenty of black fruit, as well as plum and prune, chocolate, liquorice and clove, nice oak, minerality of graphite with also savoury development. Well-balanced with good structure on the palate, silky smooth tannin, and nice concentration in flavours with a decent length on the finish. Definitely a good pick in terms of value for money. Personal rating: 94.
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