Château Saint-Pierre 2017

Superbly built, with top-class tannins, great juiciness, freshness, verve and length; expertly made.

This Saint-Pierre is softer and more approachable, with a very pleasing mid-palate and shimmering tannins on the finish.

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Saint-Pierre offers up warm cassis, redcurrant jelly, baked black berries and Black Forest cake with earth, herbs and meaty hints. Medium-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with a firm and grainy frame and is solidly built, finishing long and layered. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, and it was aged in French oak for 14 months, 50% new. About 50% of the total production went into this grand vin, with 80,500 bottles produced.

Warm and seductive in feel, with a cashmere texture to the range of steeped plum, blackberry and black currant fruit flavors. A well-buried alder note runs underneath, while flashes of tobacco and incense swirl around. The smoldering finish is long and rich in detail. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038. 6,708 cases made.

Woody nose of cedar and spices with red fruit, dark cherry and juniper undertones, and hints of star anise. Smooth and finely silky, with plush, rounded tannins.

Attractive, ripe red and dark berries here with spicy oak. Nicely played. The palate has deep, fleshy blueberries and rich plums and a wealth of supple, pliable tannin. Drink or hold.

Mid crimson. Dark fruit and a little smoky/charry on the nose along with some sweetness of oak. Dark and savoury on the palate, the tannins fine and already very supple, as if extraction had been light. Just slightly hard on the finish. (JH)

Fresh and bright, with a focus on its red fruits, peppery nuances, espresso and herbs. You also find a nice shot of tobacco and cedar. The wine is round, forward, medium-bodied, and with just a few years in the cellar, it should be ready to get going.

Deep dark ruby garnet, purple reflections, delicate edge brightening, ripe plums, dark cherries, delicate orange zest, still somewhat reserved. Medium body, a touch of red berries, integrated, firm tannins, lingers well, some nougat on the finish, a multi-faceted food companion.

From an estate owned by the same family as Chateau Gloria, the inky hued 2017 Chateau Saint-Pierre (Saint-Julien) is a big, full-bodied, impressive 2017 that has subtle oak as well as lots of cassis, white flowers, burning embers, and charcoal aromas. I love its texture, it has ripe tannins, and it’s just a balanced, complete Saint-Julien that will evolve for 20-25 years. This cuvee is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged in 50% new oak.

Purple garnet with a violet rim. Complex red-berry bouquet with red fruit compote and cassis blossoms. On the second nose, rosewood and a refined, tobacco-like spice. A taut palate with a finely firm texture and ripe extract. Long finish ending with light precious wood, juniper and refined minerality. A more classical style that, at perfect drinking maturity, can still gain further. 17.5/20

Kunz barrel sample 18: dense, silky, subtly dry bouquet, blue berries, fine black berries, cedar, licorice, flint. Balanced, concentrated palate with delicate dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, an elegant, finely muscular structure, complex dark aromatics, and a very long, aromatic finish.

Dense, silky, finely off-dry bouquet: blue berries, delicate black berries, cedar, licorice, flint. Balanced, concentrated palate with delicate dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, an elegant, subtly muscular structure, complex dark aromatics, and a very long, aromatic finish. 18/20 2025 - 2045

As with 2007, you get a clear smoky edge that suggests the fruit was less full and ripe than in some of the bigger vintages. But this has a sculpted feel and plenty of raspberry leaf and violet aromatics, with cigar box and sage spice, and a ripple of grilled butterscotch. It may well shut down for a few years, but right now, if you want to drink a young vintage of Saint Pierre (or rather if it’s all you can find to buy), this is without doubt the wine to choose. 50% new oak. Harvest from September 18 to 26.

The 2017 Saint-Pierre is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with notes of crushed blackberries, juicy black plums, and mulberries, plus suggestions of wild sage, pencil shavings, and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate is coated with bright, crunchy black fruits, framed by grainy tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and earthy. Nice

Taut, fresh wine, slightly vegetal, with supple tannins and a long finish.

Saint-Pierre 2017 has nicely integrated its oak during ageing. Today, it is defined by fruit notes of blackcurrant and blackberry, followed by a hint of roasted tones. On the palate, the wine is indulgent, generous, and perfectly supported by its tannins, which still need to soften a little. Fruity, persistent finish. A convincing wine with real potential.

The nose is fruity, elegant and gourmand, offering lovely fine grain, power and a subtle linear edge. It reveals notes of blackberry, violet and, more subtly, small wild berries, with fine hints of grey pepper, raspberry, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla. The palate is fruity and balanced, with a lovely tangy backbone, good definition, smoothness and a fine grain. On the palate, this wine shows notes of fleshy/juicy red berries and blackberry, and more subtly violet, with fine touches of cardamom, tobacco and lily, and discreet hints of racy minerality. The tannins are well handled. Persistent notes of tonka bean and vanilla pod linger on the finish.

Dark, intense, vibrant and bright colour. Moderately aromatic nose, fruity and smoky. Caressing on the attack, juicy through the mid-palate, then airy and very flavourful; the wine stands out on the finish, very persistent, full of charm and impossible to spit out.

90–92. Barrel Sample. The wine is light and juicy, balanced between its fresh fruity character and bright acidity. Suggesting it will age quickly. Drink from 2022.