Château Saint-Pierre 2023

Gorgeous aromatics on the nose, deep, dark floral scents and black fruit. Supple but richly textured, grippy and fresh, so bright and crystalline. Really pure but there’s grip to the tannins that gives this a wide expression. Not so Pomerol-like in terms of its structure—less plush, more straight—but there’s finesse here with underlying power. Nicely constructed and presented. A little funnelled towards the finish with a real salty, graphite and liquorice tang. Restrained and graceful. Ageing in 58% new oak (225L and 500L), 31% one-year barrels and 11% amphora.

Opening with a bouquet of flowers, with various spices and cocoa that accompany its vibrant red fruits in the perfume. The palate enjoys chocolate-covered cherries with an elegant, almost racy, refined edge. The finish leaves you with lift, and delicate touches of mint, chocolate, and sweet, black cherries on the backend. The wine blends 90% Merlot, with 10% Cabernet Franc. 10% of the wine is whole bunch fermented. Drink from 2027-2040.

Not very demonstrative, but its restraint reveals an intense personality, a strong character that plays on restraint and elegance. Power asserts itself on the palate with a fleshy texture and velvety tannins, lifted by tangy red berries and a persistent, acid-driven finish.

The nose is nicely handled, fresh and precise, with lovely freshness, notes of pulpy boysenberry, camphor and lighter infusion, joined by hints of crushed blueberry, fine almost fresh pepper accents, gravelly minerality, and subtle touches of violet and an almost balsamic edge. The palate is well-shaped, elegant and gourmand, fruit-driven, offering freshness, accuracy, a certain tension, balance, a stretched feel, and a lovely graphite character. It opens gradually, revealing notes of pulpy blackberry, crushed blackcurrant and, more lightly, jammy raspberry, along with hints of bright blue fruits, chocolate and tonka bean. The tannins are supple, sapid and flavorful. Good length.

The bouquet of Saint-Pierre 2023 highlights its fruity intensity while putting the ageing front and centre, without it taking over the whole! Hints of liquorice mingle with notes of stone fruit and blackberries, rounded out by a touch of spice. On the palate, the wine stands out for its finesse. While the ageing could suggest a certain breadth, the attack immediately underlines the space devoted to elegance. The wine offers a welcome freshness within an abundant framework, resulting in a highly convincing symbiosis. Carried by very fine tannins that can pride themselves on their vigour, Saint-Pierre 2023 shines for its balance. Once again, its ability to impress through subtlety outclasses an approach built on opulence. Now, patience is required, as this wine needs a little time to open up, allowing all the elements to settle in calmly. A great success!

Tobacco and blackberry on the nose, with mineral hints, cool smoke, asphalt after a summer rain; an approachable palate, soft on the attack, the fruit is wrapped in fine, silky tannins, terrific acidity, and a highly aromatic, long finish. An excellent Saint-Pierre that will bring pleasure at every stage of its life.

Dark, intense colour. Very aromatic, subtle nose. Hints of cream and ripe fruit. Precise on the attack, very aromatic on the mid-palate, with a velvety body, the wine caresses the palate. It finishes with a good, sapid length. It is very good.