Burdigala Series: Saint-Estèphe – strong wines, big heart

For our second to last installment in our series dedicated to the producers participating in New York’s first ever Bordeaux tasting and dinner event, BurdiGala, we are traveling to the  the Haut Medocian appellation of Saint-Estèphe.

Saint-Estèphe – strong wines, big heart

Representing 7.5% of the Medoc vineyard, the appellation of Saint-Estèphe is a land of fertile wines but one where the vines like to suffer. Over the millennia, the land was a large bank of the estuary of the Gironde, and as a result is rich. As such large properties were attracted to the appelltaion’s  gravel, clay or sandy gravel soil. While they are all characterized by a common and noble strength, this great heterogeneity of soil allows for diversity among the wines of the appellation.

Saint-Estèphe is the most rural of the Haut-Medoc appellations and historically the growers have felt a deep, deep bond with the land. While there are several very large properties in the appellation that date to the 19th century, the tradition of small growers dedicated to their vineyards remains strong.

2010 Saint-Estèphe Vintage

The 2010 vintage in Bordeaux was marked by unstable weather conditions in the early growing season followed by a dry and hot summer. Saint-Estèphe‘s terroir is perfectly suited for these seemingly harsh conditions. Protected from extremes in weather by the Landes forest and the Gironde Estuary, the appellation also benefits from its water-retaining clay soil. This enabled Saint-Estèphe grapes to have a more consistent growing and maturation process than fruit from other appellations. Generous fruits aromas, a deep and rich mouth with structured tannins and a balanced acidity.  Saint-Estèphe wines pocess an incredible aging potential.