Bordeaux 2004 at Ten Years: St Estèphe
North of the Jalle de Breuil, the drainage channel that marks the boundary between Pauillac and St Estèphe, the gravel of the left bank has one last impressive scarp on which sits Château Cos d’Estournel, Château Clos Labory and Château Lafon-Rochet, before it peters out to the north. Many vineyards here are blends of clay and gravel, and this almost always comes through in the more chunky character of the wines of this appellation. With any St Estèphe horizontal tasting it is always interesting to see how well the top two châteaux, Château Montrose and the aforementioned Château Cos d’Estournel (top three châteaux, I suppose, as we should not forget Château Calon-Ségur), have managed to transcend this over-arching communal character.
In the 2004 vintage, as assessed by this tiny collection of four wines, they would appear to have done a good job. The vintage, being rather restrained and correct in style, will give pleasure to those looking for classical Bordeaux experiences, but not those looking for the wines to send shivers of excitement down their spines. Having said that, the top wines in this commune are exceptionally good, full of confident texture and nascent complexity. Of the four wines reported on below, three came from a recent tasting in March 2014, while the fourth – from Château Calon-Ségur – was pulled from my cellar.
