Bordeaux 2011 at Four Years: St Estèphe
Although this appellation is only slightly further north than the other left bank communes of Pauillac, St Julien and Margaux, and much further north than Pessac-Léognan on the far side of Bordeaux, this more northerly position does make a difference. In addition, St Estèphe has a little more clay mixed with the gravel than we see in appellations to the south, and the underlying limestone, the Calcaire de St Estèphe, is more superficial here than the limestone running beneath Pauillac and St Julien, where the gravel beds are much deeper. Limestone has the potential to absorb water during wetter weather, holding it like a sponge, and then releasing it when the soils are drier. Thus this rock protects the soils above both from being too wet, and from being too dry.
Thinking back to the archetypal heatwave vintage, which is of course 2003, in that year these factors combined to the appellation’s advantage. As vines further south yellowed and dropped their leaves, those in St Estèphe soldiered on, green and verdant, supported by their moisture-retentive soils and bedrocks. That’s why the 2003s from St Estèphe can be great, while some wines from further down the Médoc are already falling off their perches. The appellation’s geology makes a real difference.
Coming back to 2011, as I have already discussed in my introduction this vintage was overall a warmer one than 2003, but as a result of unseasonably warm spring and autumn weather rather than a summer heatwave. There was no summer wilting of the vines. Nevertheless, there was still a very dry and warm spring and autumn in 2011, and these rocks and soils have perhaps again worked to the appellation’s advantage. Perhaps the limestone also helped when it rained, soaking up the groundwater. Whatever the reason, I found here at least one of the very best left-bank wines in this vintage.
