Château Saint Pierre

The history of Château Saint Pierre

Château Saint Pierre is an elegant building set amidst vineyards. In 1693, Château Saint Pierre was already a winery. It belonged to the Marquis de Cheverry and was known as Serançan.

In 1767, its new owner, Baron de Saint Pierre, gave it its definitive name. In 1832, on the death of the baron, Château Saint Pierre was inherited by his two daughters. The property was divided into two parts. Each of the heiresses received half the vines, and the buildings were also divided: the château, the cellars and the other building, the Tour Carnet.

However, wine production continued. In 1855, when the crus were classified, Château Saint Pierre topped the list of Quatrièmes Grands Crus. One of the heiresses sold her share to Léon Sevaistre, a talented winemaker and owner of Château Saint Louis in Saint Julien. The wine was then produced under two appellations: Saint Pierre Sevaistre and Saint Pierre Bontemps Dubarry, the married name of the other heiress.

The two halves of Château Saint Pierre were reunited when they were bought out in 1922 by two Belgian brothers from Antwerp, Pierre and Charles Van den Bussche. However, one part of the original estate is missing: the cellars, which have since been sold to Alfred Martin, who needed to store his production there.

It wasn't until 1982 that Château Saint Pierre finally regained its original appearance, when Alfred's son Henri Martin bought the entire estate. The estate then passed to Henri Martin's daughter, married to Jean-Louis Triaud, former president of the Girondins de Bordeaux club, with whom she manages the estate.

The Château Saint Pierre vineyard

The Château Saint Pierre vineyard covers 17 hectares. The grape varieties are 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is 50 years. Annual production is 75,000 bottles.

The soil is composed of Günzian gravel on a clay-limestone layer. The vines benefit from the heat stored by the gravel during the day and released at night. This enables the temperature to remain fairly stable. The soil is particularly well drained, forcing the vines to produce large roots that fetch water and nutrients from deep within the earth.

The grapes are harvested by hand. Traditional vinification takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is aged for 14 to 16 months in barrels, half of which are renewed every year.

The wines of Château Saint Pierre

Le Château Saint Pierre is the estate's grand cru. Elegant, its color is dense and deep, oscillating between dark garnet and purplish. On the nose, there are aromas of violets, wood, roasting, vanilla... as well as hints of game or truffle after good maturity. The palate is full-bodied, but with expressive black fruit notes that give the whole a magnificent balance. A fine Saint-Julien with a long finish, perfect for a fine rib of beef or game in sauce.

Le II du Château Saint Pierre is, as its name suggests, the estate's second wine. Fresher and less complex than its big brother, this wine remains very rich and complete. On the nose, as on the palate, we find notes of vanilla, black fruit and undergrowth. Round with smooth tannins, this cuvée offers a soft finish with great aromatic persistence. A well-balanced, powerful red wine to accompany a fine red meat dish with gratin dauphinois.