Saint Pierre 2018

Tasted blind. Very dark crimson. Rather spicily exotic on the nose. Sweet and pleasing with tea-leaf aromas and chunky texture. Not yet knit by any means. 14.5%Drink 2028 – 2050

77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot. Barrel sample. Deepest purple colour. Aromatic with dark red fruit and tea leaf, even a touch floral. Sadly, that fruit is rather overwhelmed by the oak on the palate, but the tannins are smooth if quite dense. Chewy finish. (JH) 13%Drink 2025-2033

Checking in as a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot from very old vines and still aging in 50% new French oak, the 2018 Château Saint-Pierre reveals a saturated purple color to go with rich, full-bodied aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, graphite, and spicy oak. Rich, powerful, and concentrated, yet also with gorgeous purity and freshness, it’s a serious, age-worthy wine that’s going to need 7-8 years of bottle age but will be very long-lived.

(77 Cabernet Sauvignon, 23 Merlot) | 50% new oak | 14.3% alc This is quite a tough Saint-Pierre and there is a lot of stuffing here, but it is also rather square and hard on the finish. The fruit seems very ripe and there is even a touch of dried skin notes here, making it a powerful creature, but not one with much elegance on board. In a world of exotic wines, this will find a home, but in a world of fine red Bordeaux, it might stick out a little too much as an atypical creation. I am hoping that it stays true to type and regains some balance in due course.

The 2018 Saint-Pierre continues a purple patch for this estate that is finally revealing its true potential as one of the appellation's front-running estates. Now this has a cerebral and complex bouquet for the vintage with very nuanced blackberry and bilberry fruit, sous-bois and light cedar aromas. The palate is built around its fine tannins that frame the blackberry and blueberry fruit, the acidity pitch perfect with a silky finish that caresses the senses. This is a marvellous Saint-Pierre that is going to give a lot of pleasure. 2023 - 2045

The deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Saint-Pierre displays shy scents of rose hip tea, dried mint, crushed rocks and lavender to begin, opening out to a growing core of warm blackcurrants, baked blackberries and Morello cherries plus wafts of garrigue and wild sage. Full-bodied and absolutely laden with black fruits and provocative mineral sparks, it has a firm texture of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and savory. Aging is anticipated to be for 14 months in 50% new and 50% second-fill barrels. The blend is currently 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot.