Welcome to our new online shop.
The roughly 1,200-hectare AOC Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost of the renowned communes on the left bank of Bordeaux. Its wines are considered cooler and fresher, owing to gravelly soils on clay that delay ripening — ideal in dry years. Top châteaux produce long-lived wines with great ageing potential. Particularly noteworthy are Montrose and Cos d’Estournel, whose vineyards are separated from Pauillac only by a small stream.
Original photos
of the bottles
All wines on offer
ready to ship
Stored in a
climate-controlled cellar
Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost of the Médoc’s four great communal appellations and stands for a powerful, structured style with exceptional ageing potential. Across some 1,250 hectares – around 7.5% of the Médoc’s vineyard area – approximately 74 estates produce red wine exclusively, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with an unusually high proportion of Merlot for the Médoc. The appellation falls under the 1855 Classification, with five Cru Classés, as well as the Cru Bourgeois system. What distinguishes Saint-Estèphe from its southern neighbours Pauillac and Saint-Julien is the higher clay content in the subsoil: it gives the wines their characteristic power and firm tannic backbone – and makes the appellation particularly successful in hot vintages such as 2003 or 2009, because the soils preserve freshness. Saint-Estèphe is one of the most exciting addresses in the Médoc, with a reputation that has risen steadily over the past two decades.
For a long time, Saint-Estèphe was regarded as the somewhat rustic outsider among the great Médoc communes: powerful, but at times angular in tannin. That assessment is outdated. More precise vineyard work and a better match between grape variety and soil have polished the tannins without sacrificing the appellation’s characteristic power. The result is an appellation whose best estates today operate on a par with their most prestigious neighbours – and often at price levels that remain attractive.
Saint-Estèphe is a red-wine-only appellation. The high Merlot proportion of 43% is remarkable for the Cabernet-dominated Médoc and a direct response to the clay- and limestone-rich soils in which Merlot thrives. A few estates, such as Cos d’Estournel and Tronquoy-Lalande, also produce white wines, bottled as AOC Bordeaux Blanc.
Despite its first-class terroir, Saint-Estèphe has fewer 1855-classified estates than its southern neighbours – a legacy of the historical fragmentation of the estates and their distance from Bordeaux, back when brokers still reached the properties on horseback. Five châteaux belong to the classification:
With Cos d’Estournel and Montrose, Saint-Estèphe is home to two of the most renowned Second Growths in the entire Médoc, which in top vintages regularly come close to First Growth quality and are traded as ‘Super Seconds’.
Alongside the five Cru Classés, Saint-Estèphe has a number of high-quality Cru Bourgeois estates. Several of them – including Phélan Ségur, Château de Pez, Les Ormes de Pez and Haut-Marbuzet – historically belonged to the top tier of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnels. The system was restructured into three tiers again in 2020 and is reviewed every five years; the current 2025 classification applies to the 2023 to 2027 vintages.
Château Cos d’Estournel (2e Cru Classé) – Owner: Michel Reybier (since 2000). Vineyard area: approx. 91 ha. Grape mix: predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with a high proportion of Merlot. The iconic château, inspired by Asian architecture and famous for its pagodas, stands on a gravel plateau of Terrace 3 directly on the border with Pauillac, opposite Lafite. Cos d’Estournel is the appellation’s most prestigious estate; an opulent, dense, long-lived style. Second wine: Les Pagodes de Cos.
Château Montrose (2e Cru Classé) – Owner: the Bouygues family (Martin and Olivier Bouygues, since 2006). Vineyard area: approx. 95 ha, farmed biodynamically. Montrose lies on Terrace 4 directly on the estuary bank and is regarded as the most classic, longest-lived estate in the appellation – powerful and built to last for decades. Second wine: La Dame de Montrose.
Château Calon-Ségur (3e Cru Classé) – Owner: Suravenir Assurances (Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, since 2012). The northernmost of the classified estates; the heart on the label refers to the famous remark by the Marquis de Ségur that his heart belonged to Calon. Classic, elegant style.
Château Lafon-Rochet (4e Cru Classé) – Owner: Jacky Lorenzetti / Ovalto (since 2021, previously the Tesseron family). Vineyard area: approx. 41 ha. Lorenzetti also owns Pédesclaux (Pauillac), Lilian Ladouys (Saint-Estèphe) and 50% of Château d’Issan (Margaux). Château Cos Labory (5e Cru Classé) – a smaller estate in the immediate vicinity of Cos d’Estournel; traditional style.
Château Phélan Ségur (Van de Vyvere family) and Château Haut-Marbuzet (Duboscq family) are among the best unclassified estates in the appellation and regularly reach Cru Classé quality. Château de Pez (Champagne Louis Roederer) and Château Les Ormes de Pez (Cazes family) are further reliable top addresses. Also noteworthy are Château Lilian Ladouys (Lorenzetti), Château Ormes de Pez and Château Tronquoy-Lalande.
Saint-Estèphe’s history dates back to Roman times; the significant Roman town of Noviomagus lay nearby. After the Battle of Castillon in 1453, when English wine merchants were excluded from the port of Bordeaux, they instead used the port of Saint-Estèphe – bringing the town a temporary boom. However, the real dominance of viticulture only began with the draining of the marshes in the 17th and 18th centuries. Unlike in Pauillac, most estates remained small and were considered not significant enough for a higher ranking in 1855 – hence only five classified growths. What is fascinating about Saint-Estèphe today is how quickly its best estates are catching up with their prestigious neighbours.
Saint-Estèphe possesses an exceptionally varied terroir. Quartz and pebble gravel alternate with zones of sand and clay; in the west and south-west, limestone soils emerge at the surface, including a parcel of Astéries limestone typical of Saint-Émilion. Characteristic is the higher clay content compared with Pauillac and Saint-Julien:
The high clay content has historically been both a strength and a challenge: it provides power and ageing potential but could lead to rustic, hard tannins. The decisive progress of recent years lies in the fact that the estates have learned to polish, extend and civilise these tannins through more precise vineyard work and gentler extraction – as former Montrose director Nicolas Glumineau, now at Pichon Lalande, has described in essence.
The Saint-Estèphe blend is Cabernet Sauvignon-led, yet with the highest proportion of Merlot among the Médoc’s four great communes. On the gravel plateaus, Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure, tannic backbone and ageing potential; the high Merlot proportion of around 43%, grown on the clay- and limestone-rich soils, contributes richness and suppleness and softens the powerful tannic structure. Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc round out the blend in small proportions.
This blending logic directly explains the Saint-Estèphe style: more powerful and more tannin-driven than Saint-Julien or Margaux, with a Merlot proportion that makes the wines more approachable than a purely Cabernet character would suggest.
Saint-Estèphe stands for powerful, robust red wines with firm tannin and long ageing potential. Today, the best estates combine this power with an elegance long denied to the appellation.
Vintage-dependent variation: Saint-Estèphe is particularly successful in hot vintages such as 2003, 2009 or 2018, because the clay content preserves freshness. In cooler, late-ripening vintages such as 2010 or 2016, the Cabernet shows its structured side.
Food pairing: Roast beef, game dishes, leg of lamb, entrecôte, robust hard cheeses.
Compared with Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe still offers attractive prices, even for the classified estates. The appellation is considered one of the best value among the great Médoc communes.
Entry recommendation: As high-class Cru Bourgeois, Phélan Ségur and Les Ormes de Pez offer an excellent quality-to-price ratio. Among the classified estates, Calon-Ségur is an elegant, reliable starting point; anyone seeking the very best cannot avoid Montrose or Cos d’Estournel.
Investment perspective: Cos d’Estournel and Montrose are among the Médoc’s most stable investment wines and are fixed components of the Liv-ex Bordeaux 500. Calon-Ségur has also gained value in recent years.
Saint-Estèphe is the northernmost of the Médoc’s four great communal appellations and stands for a powerful, structured style with exceptional ageing potential. The higher clay content in the subsoil gives the wines their characteristic power and makes the appellation particularly successful in hot vintages. With Cos d’Estournel and Montrose, it is home to two of the Médoc’s most renowned Super Seconds.
Saint-Estèphe is governed by the 1855 Classification (five Cru Classés) and the Cru Bourgeois system (three tiers since 2020, currently the 2025 classification). Several Cru Bourgeois estates in the appellation historically belonged to the top tier of Exceptionnels.
Château Cos d’Estournel and Château Montrose (both 2e Cru Classé), Château Calon-Ségur (3e), Château Lafon-Rochet (4e) and Château Cos Labory (5e).
Permitted varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenère. The grape mix is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot – the Merlot proportion is the highest among the Médoc’s four great communes.
Cru Bourgeois wines reach their peak after 8 to 15 years. The Cru Classés can age for 20 to 40 years; Montrose and Cos d’Estournel achieve even longer ageing spans in great vintages.
To the south, Saint-Estèphe borders directly on Pauillac; the boundary is formed by a small stream, the Jalle du Breuil. To the north and west, the appellation borders the Haut-Médoc (Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne). To the east lies the Gironde estuary.
Saint-Estèphe has a significantly higher clay content in its subsoil than its southern neighbours. Clay retains water and gives the wines power and firm tannin. Historically, this led to more rustic tannins; more precise vineyard work has polished these in recent years without sacrificing power.
Solid Cru Bourgeois wines are available from around €20 to €45. High-class Cru Bourgeois such as Phélan Ségur or Haut-Marbuzet range between €35 and €70, while the classified Cru Classés range between €50 and €120.
Cos d’Estournel lies on a gravel plateau on the border with Pauillac and produces a more opulent, denser style with a high Merlot proportion. Montrose lies on the estuary bank and is regarded as the most classic, longest-lived estate in the appellation – powerful and built to last for decades. Both are Second Growths and are traded as Super Seconds.
Saint-Estèphe shines both in hot vintages (2003, 2009, 2018) and in structured, late-ripening years (2010, 2016). Further recommendable vintages include 2005, 2015, 2019 and 2020.
