Of all the wines produced in the Haut-Médoc, those of St.-Estèphe have the reputation of being the slowest to mature and the toughest, most tannic wines. While this generalization may have been true 30 or 40 years ago, the wines now being made in St.-Estèphe reveal an increasing reliance on the softer, fleshier Merlot grape, as well as a vinification aimed at producing more supple, earlier-maturing wines.
St.-Estèphe, which has 3,404 acres under vine, is the least prestigious of the four well-known Haut-Médoc appellations, including Margaux, Pauillac, and St.-Julien. In the 1855 classification, only five wines were considered outstanding enough to be ranked. However, from a consumer’s perspective, the commune of St.-Estèphe has numerous Cru Bourgeois châteaux that are currently making wine as good as several classified growths. Several of these Cru Bourgeois estates are producing better wine, at least as interesting as one of the five classified growths in St.-Estèphe. Disappointing for decades, Cos Labory’s recent vintages have been more promising. Top-notch, lesser-known estates making very good wine, such as Haut-Marbuzet, Meyney, and Les Ormes de Pez, would certainly merit serious consideration for elevation into the ranks of the classified growths.
