Château Saint-Pierre Esprit de Saint-Pierre Saint-Julien 2016

Profile & Story

Château Saint-Pierre is a 17-hectare estate in Saint-Julien-Beychevelle and one of the smallest and most discreet of the appellation's 1855 classified growths. The property's history dates to the 1760s, when Baron Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Pierre returned from Saint-Domingue and acquired and renamed the estate; by 1855 it was ranked a fourth classified growth. After a period of division, the estate was reunited as a whole in 1982 under the Triaud family. Its vineyards, planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon on Günzian gravel over clay and sand, have an average vine age of around 60 years. Esprit de Saint-Pierre is the estate's second wine, produced from its youngest vines and intended as a more accessible, earlier-drinking expression of the Saint-Julien appellation. It blends 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc from hand-harvested fruit, vinified by the traditional method in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and aged following the same philosophy applied to Domaines Henri Martin's other estate wines. Annual production is approximately 8,000 bottles. As estate representative Caroline Triaud describes it, Esprit de Saint-Pierre is 'an accessible wine that appeals to our younger consumers.'