Saint-Estèphe

In the thirteenth century Gui Martin de Saint-Estèphe, archpriest of Lesparre, was lord of Calon, and the parish was already known for "good vines" that paid better than grain. Other lordships, such as Blanquet and Lassalle de Pez, became the core of today's hamlets. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the tithe of Saint-Estèphe was the largest in the Médoc, and from the eighteenth century its wines joined the London trade in "New French Clarets"; the specification credits Bordeaux merchants with building their reputation. The large estates date mostly from the prosperous nineteenth century. The 1855 classification ranked five estates here and the 1932 Crus Bourgeois list about forty. The appellation was first recognised by the decree of 14 November 1936.

Saint-Estèphe lies on the left bank of the Gironde, about halfway between Bordeaux and the Pointe de Grave; it is the northernmost communal appellation of the Médoc and the second largest. Its boundaries follow drained marshes: the Estey de la Calupeyre to the north and the Lafite marsh, drained by the Jalle du Breuil, to the south, where Pauillac begins. Quaternary gravel terraces about ten metres thick lie at 4–40 m over Eocene and Oligocene marls and limestone, which come to the surface in the west. There a hard limestone is patchily covered by sandy gravel and thin rendzinas, and wind-blown Landes sand reaches the forest edge. In the east the gravel rises come so close to the estuary that the palus is a strip only 200–300 m wide. The Bordeaux wine council lists the gravel as small river stones, white quartz, sandstone and flint mixed with sandy clay.

The specification describes deep red wines, usually led by Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives a robust frame and broad tannins. Merlot adds red fruit to the spice, and Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot add structure, Petit Verdot also freshness in very ripe years. It calls the wines full-bodied and powerful, needing several years to gain roundness, fruit and finesse. It ties this to two kinds of ground: in the east, naturally drained gravel suited to Cabernet Sauvignon; in the west, well-drained soils over more or less karstic limestone, where Merlot is particularly well adapted. The Bordeaux wine council calls the wines powerful yet elegant, with remarkable ageing potential.

Saint-Estèphe is red only, from the commune of Saint-Estèphe. The permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carménère; the Bordeaux wine council gives plantings of about 50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 % Merlot, 7 % Cabernet Franc and 3 % Petit Verdot. The rules require at least 7,000 vines per hectare, a base yield of 57 hl/ha and ageing until at least 1 June of the year after the harvest. Recent alluvium, sand and impermeable subsoils are excluded. About 69 estates and one cooperative, with more than 80 members, share about 1,200 ha. Five estates are 1855 classified growths, and the specification notes smaller estates using the terms cru paysan and cru artisan.