Château Saint-Pierre: Tasting & Drinking
This is a small property which I once said was often overlooked, although I am not so sure that is still the case. Fifteen or twenty years ago it wasn’t unusual to find bottles of Château Saint-Pierre languishing on shelves and merchants’ lists at very attractive prices, and they thus provided some good value drinking, along with one or two other St Julien fourth growths. With the rise in popularity of Bordeaux as a whole, and increasing awareness that quality has been on the up here, word has gotten around. Nevertheless, these wines still remain under-appreciated and favourably priced compared to other St Julien classed growths, especially those from the Léoville estates, or from Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.
My experience of the wines includes numerous vintages from the time of Henri Martin, and subsequently wines made during the tenure of Jean-Louis Triaud. I admit they rarely provide the breathtaking excitement that can be found with some other properties of the commune, although I thought the 1995 very satisfying and at the very early stage at which I tasted it I thought it was one of the more interesting wines from this estate in recent years. The 2000 may also have more promise than my conservative score may suggest, although it did not show the pent-up promise that many other wines of this vintage have demonstrated. But we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater; there are many châteaux where the shine can be dulled by comparison with the likes of Château Léoville-Las-Cases or Château Ducru-Beaucaillou.
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