Saint Pierre 2019

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

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