St-Estephe

The gravel banks of Haut-Medoc begins to peter out at St-Estephe, it is the northernmost of the four famous communes at the heart of the Medoc, with a stream dividing Pauillac on one side and the classed growths of St-Estephe on the other.

The soils here have a distinction to that of Pauillac, with a higher mixture of clay with the gravel. As a result of the heavier soil, drainage is slower and so in hot, dry summers St-Estephe wines would perform better than those of the communes to the south.

In less extreme weather the wine still shows more acidity, fuller and more solid, with less perfume but more intense flavors. However, the recent trend of making the Bordeaux a bigger and bolder wine blurs the difference between St-Estephe and the other communes.

Cos d’Estournel is the most spectacular of the classed growths, with an eccentric pagoda edifice, and along with Montrose which overlooks the river, make the best of the St-Estephe. The wine of Cos d’Estournel is powerful, partly because of the high proportion of Merlot and also the philosophy of the management.

Montrose is sitting on a gravel mound overlooking the Gironde, with intense, tannic and deeply flavored wine. The other two classed growths, Cos Labory is more fruity at the young age, and Lafon-Rochet, the first chateau to be rebuilt in the 20^th century, makes reliable wines.

Calon-Segur is located on the north of the village, as solid as any St-Estephe, and is more robust and sturdier than either Cos d’Estournel or Montrose when young. Some 250 years ago the Marquis de Segur, owner of Lafite and Latour at the time, said his heart was at Calon, which was still shown in the design of the label.

The commune is also known for its Crus Bourgeois, which were temporarily classified as Exceptionnels, Superieurs and straight Cru Bourgeois. Four of the nine Exceptionnels are on the plateau south and west of the village, with Phelan Segur and de Pez both outstanding producers.

Pez has an extraordinary historical record, selling as Pontac in London in the 17^th century, before any other growths of the Medoc, and today it belongs to the same champagne house of Louis Roederer. Chateau Les Ormes de Pez has the same management team as Lynch-Bages while Haut-Marbuzet is located between Cos and Montrose, usually made sweet and oaky.

There are dozens of Crus Bourgeois Superieurs, more than any other communes, with Meyney unusual for having monastic origins, and has more potential for development, but still sturdy and good-value. Similarly good are Beau-Site, Le Boscq, Chambert-Marbuzet, Clauzet, Le Crock, La Haye, Lilian Ladouys, Petit Bocq, Tour de Marbuzet, Tour de Pez and Tronquoy-Lalande, all ready to drink much sooner than the classed growths.

There are no fewer than 20 straight Cru Bourgeois, with Chateau Marbuzet notable under the same ownership of Cos d’Estournel.

To the north of St-Estephe the gravel diminishes to a promontory sticking out of the flat river-silted land, and no quality wine is being made there. On top of the promontory is a small village of St-Seurin-de-Cadourne, with some notable wines made like Coufran, Verdignan, and Bel-Orme Tronquoy de Lalande.

But most notable of all, on a classic mound of gravel near the river, is Sociando-Mallet with the ambitious wines known to compete with first-growths in blind tastings, with the owner opted to operate outside the Cru Bourgeois system.

North of St-Seurin is the end of Haut-Medoc, with the wines made beyond under the appellation of Medoc, comparatively more plain and simple, with Chateau Loudenne occupying the first gravel knoll. West of St-Estephe, furthest from the river, is Cissac and Vertheuil, lying on stronger and less gravel soils, with Chateau Cissac an outstanding growth.

I have tasted the following St-Estephe wines so far:

Chateau Calon-Segur	2003
Chateau Cos d'Estournel	2004
Chateau de Pez	2006
Chateau Lafon-Rochet	2004
Chateau Montrose	2002
Chateau Phelan-Segur	2004
Chateau Sociando-Mallet	2009
La Dame de Montrose	2004
La Dame de Montrose	2006
Les Pagodes de Cos	2006