Chateau Saint-Pierre 2009
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Product Details
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Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The all-time greatest wine I have ever tasted from Saint-Pierre, this estate, the smallest of the grand cru classes of St.-Julien, has an opaque purple color and a spectacular nose of subtle charcoal, creme de cassis, blackberry, and incense. Full-bodied, with striking intensity and flamboyantly rich, exuberant flavors bursting with extract, the St. Pierre has no hard edges, but rather massive, incredibly well-endowed blockbuster style, which should prove to be monumental. Give it 6-8 years to take on more definition and calm down, but this is a 30- to 40-year wine. Bravo!
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James Suckling
Beautiful aromas of mole, raspberries and flowers, follow through to a full body, with firm tannins and a juicy finish. Minerals and flowers. Already delicious and attractive. Best after 2019.
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Wine Enthusiast
Very densely structured, showing the ripe fruit of St.-Julien while also powering it with smoky tannins and wood. The acidity is a layer under the sweet fruit and final firm character.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and winey, with lots of graphite and espresso-tinged grip driving the dark plum, braised fig and steeped black currant fruit flavors. Features lots of tar and briar on the finish. Muscular but mouthwatering. Should unwind nicely in the cellar. Best from 2014 through 2025. 6,250 cases made.
Other Vintages
2021- Decanter
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Robert - Decanter
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James
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Today, with an average vine age of 50 years, the vineyard now covers 17 hectares, planted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Enjoying a fantastic terroir of gravelly soil, below which lie sand and clay, the vines, in a double Guyot training system, produce an average of 45 hectoliters per hectare using a planting density of 10,000 vines per hectare. Jean-Louis Triaud has great ambitions and conducts a rigorous selection in order to achieve his goals of great wine. "The annual production of Saint-Pierre is about 90 tons, which, after strict selection, becomes only 50 tons, which in wine terms is the equivalent of 5,000 cases for the Grand Vin. My desire is to make exceptional wines worthy of the best Crus in the area. It is a challenge, but the potential is there and we provide the necessary means."
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An icon of balance and tradition, St. Julien boasts the highest proportion of classed growths in the Médoc. What it lacks in any first growths, it makes up in the rest: five amazing second growth chateaux, two superb third growths and four well-reputed fourth growths. While the actual class rankings set in 1855 (first, second, and so on the fifth) today do not necessarily indicate a score of quality, the classification system is important to understand in the context of Bordeaux history. Today rivalry among the classed chateaux only serves to elevate the appellation overall.
One of its best historically, the estate of Leoville, was the largest in the Médoc in the 18th century, before it was divided into the three second growths known today as Chateau Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton. Located in the north section, these are stone’s throw from Chateau Latour in Pauillac and share much in common with that well-esteemed estate.
The relatively homogeneous gravelly and rocky top soil on top of clay-limestone subsoil is broken only by a narrow strip of bank on either side of the “jalle,” or stream, that bisects the zone and flows into the Gironde.
St. Julien wines are for those wanting subtlety, balance and consistency in their Bordeaux. Rewarding and persistent, the best among these Bordeaux Blends are full of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, plum, tobacco and licorice. They are intense and complex and finish with fine, velvety tannins.