St-Estèphe AOP Flashcards
Introduce St-Estèphe AOP to a table
St-Estèphe AOP is the northernmost commune appellation in Haut-Médoc. The wines are sturdy and full-bodied reds with a slightly higher percentage of Merlot, due to a higher proportion of clay amongst the gravel. St-Estèphe does not contain any first growths, and it hosts only five classified growths overall. Château Cos d’Estournel, a “super-second” growth, is the most notable, making powerful wines in a polished modern style.
AOC Established
1936
Département
Gironde
Minimum Must Weight: 180 g/l (189 g/l for Merlot)
Maximum Residual Sugar: 2 g/l
Élevage: The wines may not be released before June 15 of the year following the harvest
Minimum Planting Density:7,000 vines per hectare
Maximum Yields (Rendement de Base): 57 hl/ha
Commune of Production
Saint-Estèphe
Styles and Encépagement:
Rouge: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
Minimum Potential Alcohol
11%
Blend:
Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc
Soil type
Light upper soils with a layer of clay and limestone underneath
Overview of St Estephe
Saint-Estèphe is best known as the northernmost, and one of the four major wine-growing appellations of the Médoc.
The area is separated from Château Lafite-Rothschild in Pauillac to the south by the Jalle de Breuil stream and its vineyards cover around 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi) on the banks of the Gironde estuary. The grounds of St.-Estèphe are varied.
To the south-east corner of the appellation area, they are similar to those of Pauillac, with deep gravels lying on a hard sandstone base. Progressively to the west and north, they get more clayey, less gravelly, and become heavier. In parts, veins of alios (a reduced form of iron) can be found.[1] The layers of gravel on top of clay lead to comparatively poor drainage, and the harvest is one of the latest of the whole region, although this water retention can be of use in vintages of low rainfall.
Classified Saint-Estèphe estates of 1855
In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, there are no First Growths in Saint-Estèphe, but two Second Growths. The classified estates of Saint-Estèphe are:
Second Growths
Château Cos d'Estournel
Château Montrose
Third Growths
Château Calon-Ségur
Fourth Growths
Château Lafon-Rochet
Fifth Growths
Château Cos Labory
Discuss Château Cos d’Estournel (2nd Growth)
Château Cos d’Estournel is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
Château Cos d’Estournel produces the eponymous grand vin, the second wine since the 1994 vintage, Les Pagodes de Cos from the estate’s younger vines, as well as Château Marbuzet from fruit of nearby plots. The property is adjacent to Château Lafite-Rothschild in the neighboring commune of Pauillac.[1]
Discuss Château Cos d’Estournel (2nd Growth) further
The name Cos (with the S pronounced) refers to a “hill of pebbles” in Gascon dialect and the name Cos d’Estournel was given in 1810 by Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel.
The estate has changed hands several times during its history, starting in 1852 when it was purchased by the English banker Charles Cecil Martyns. In 1869, it was sold to the Spanish Errazu family only to be sold again 20 years later in 1889 to the Bordeaux-based Hostein family. Through his marriage to Marie-Thérèse Hostein, Louis-Victor Charmolue, who also owned Château Montrose, gained control of Cos d’Estournel in 1894. In Finally in 1917, it was sold to Fernand Ginestet.
The château has remained in the Ginestet family since then, becoming in 1970 part of Domaines Prats, the combined holdings of the Ginestet and Prats families, and controlled by Bruno Prats.
In June 2008 it was announced that Michel Reybier, current owner of Cos d’Estournel, purchased Napa winery Chateau Montelena for an undisclosed sum.[2] By November 2008, however, this agreement was cancelled,[3] the termination of the transaction by Chateau Montelena stated to be due to that Reybier Investments had been “unable to meet its obligations”.[4]
Discuss production of Château Cos d’Estournel (2nd Growth) further
From a 100 hectare estate, the vineyard area extends 70 hectares (170 acres), divided into 30 parcels, primarily composed of the grape varieties of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with minor cultivation of Cabernet Franc and Petit verdot that appears to participate little in the modern production.[5][6] The annual production is typically 32,000 cases.[5]
Cos wines tend to have a higher blend of Merlot than other classified Left Bank wines.[7]
Discuss Château Montrose (2nd Growth)
Château Montrose is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.
Location
The vineyard is in Saint-Estèphe, the northernmost of the great Médoc communes. The soil in Montrose’s 168 acres (0.68 km2) consists of gravel and black sand with a subsoil of clay and marl.[1] They are planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Franc.
The Wine
Montrose wines tend to be deeply tannic and during excellent vintages can take up to 20 years to mature.[1]
Château Montrose produces two red wines; name them. (2nd Growth)
Its eponymous grand vin and a second wine named Le Dame de Montrose. The 1970 vintage placed third among the ten California and French red wines at the historic Judgment of Paris wine competition.
