{"product_id":"2016-chateau-saint-pierre-saint-julien-quatrieme-cru-classe","title":"2016 Château Saint-Pierre, Saint-Julien, Quatrième Cru Classé","description":"\u003cp\u003eBordeaux’s 1855 Classification is filled with famous names, but Château Saint-Pierre has somehow remained one of its best-kept secrets. At just 17 hectares, it is the smallest Classified Growth in Saint-Julien, a tiny Quatrième Cru Classé surrounded by some of the most coveted Cabernet terroir on the Left Bank. Its obscurity is largely an accident of history. The original estate was gradually broken apart through inheritance, and for decades much of its already minuscule production was shipped directly to private customers in Belgium and England. It took Henri Martin, the visionary behind Château Gloria, years to painstakingly reunite the historic vineyard parcels, finally restoring Saint-Pierre in 1982. The result is one of those increasingly rare Bordeaux estates where the reputation has never quite caught up with what is in the bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd 2016 is exactly the vintage we want from a château like this. The blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, drawn from mature vines rooted in the deep Günzian gravel that makes Saint-Julien one of the Médoc’s great Cabernet strongholds. The extraordinary 2016 growing season delivered both concentration and freshness, producing wines with the structure for serious aging without sacrificing perfume or energy. Ten years later, that youthful architecture is beginning to relax, putting this bottle at the threshold between powerful young Bordeaux and the savory complexity that only comes with time in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the glass, classic Saint-Julien character comes roaring through: blackcurrant, blackberry, crushed violet, graphite, cedar, tobacco, and warm gravel, with emerging notes of leather and earth beneath the fruit. There is still plenty of Cabernet grip through the finish, but a decade in bottle has begun polishing the edges and revealing the elegance underneath. Give it an hour in a decanter and serve it alongside a dry-aged ribeye, roast lamb, or beef tenderloin. For Bordeaux drinkers who already know the famous names of Saint-Julien, this is the kind of bottle we love putting on the table: a tiny-production Classified Growth, from a benchmark vintage, finally entering the stage when great Bordeaux starts showing you why it was worth waiting for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCritical Acclaim:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e97 Points, Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan role=\"text\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"The most effortlessly brilliant vintage in St Julien, and Saint Pierre is right up there with the best of examples you can find. Smoky and sculpted, still chewy tannins, firm but confident, liqourice and campfire smoke that displays welcome and generosity - makes you want to pull up a chair next to the embers and grab a friend to share it with. The fruits are brambled hedegrow and crumbled blackberry, with touches of bioche and cream, along with bitter chocolate that adds definition. Mineral tingle to the acidities, and another wash of smoke as it opens.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You’ll Love It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt just 17 hectares, Château Saint-Pierre is the smallest Classified Growth in Saint-Julien, with production on an entirely different scale from many of its more famous neighbors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exceptional 2016 vintage gave Saint-Pierre the combination we look for in serious Left Bank Bordeaux: concentrated Cabernet fruit, freshness, mineral structure, and the backbone for long-term development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA decade of bottle age has moved the wine beyond primary fruit and youthful tannin, while leaving plenty of structure for continued evolution in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow To Serve It\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eServe at a cool 60°F to 64°F to preserve the wine’s freshness and keep its Cabernet aromatics sharply defined.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe recommend approximately one hour in a decanter, allowing the remaining tannic structure to relax and the wine’s graphite, cedar, tobacco, and floral complexity to emerge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePour into generous Bordeaux stemware to give the wine’s increasingly complex aromatics room to develop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePair with dry-aged ribeye, roast leg of lamb, beef tenderloin, duck breast, or other simply prepared roasted meats that complement rather than overwhelm mature Bordeaux.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-2 mt-6 text-lg first:mt-3\"\u003eProvenance Guarantee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis wine comes with an unimpeachable provenance:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"marker:text-textOff list-disc pl-8\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePurchased Ex Chateau En Primeur in 2017\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased between June 2018 and March 2019\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStored at Dartess in Bordeaux\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTransferred to London City Bond in February 2020\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKept in original packaging, undisturbed case\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-2 mt-6 text-lg first:mt-3\"\u003eImpeccable Provenance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThese wines were acquired through an approved Bordeaux négociant as futures in 2017. Upon release from the châteaux between June 2018 and March 2019, they were stored at Dartess in Bordeaux before being transferred to London City Bond in February 2020. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDon't miss this rare opportunity to own a piece of Bordeaux history. With limited quantities available, these wines represent the perfect gift for the discerning oenophile or a treasured addition to any cellar.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"mb-2 mt-6 text-lg first:mt-3\"\u003eAuthenticity Assured\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery bottle is delivered with a SommSelect Certificate of Authenticity, ensuring the wine's traceability and optimal storage conditions throughout its journey.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mt-md block\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis offering represents a true collector's dream - a chance to own a piece of Bordeaux history that promises to be both an exceptional investment and a testament to the pinnacle of winemaking craft.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/CHATEAU-SAINT-PIERRE_JULIEREY-2500x1666.jpg?v=1790112521\" alt=\"Château Saint-Pierre, Saint-Julien\" style=\"margin-bottom: 16px; float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"SommSelect","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47760458022966,"sku":"AT-CSP16SJ-750","price":129.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0551\/3628\/8822\/files\/CHATEAu-saint-pierre-2016.jpg?v=1791013352","url":"https:\/\/sommselect.com\/products\/2016-chateau-saint-pierre-saint-julien-quatrieme-cru-classe","provider":"SommSelect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}