C 88/68
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
24.2.2022
The ‘Jalle’ and ‘Estey’ network of streams, which drain all the soils as they flow towards the Gironde, have dissected these environments, making the gravelly hilltops stand out.
They also form several municipal boundaries.
Thus, the geographical area of the controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’ corresponds to the territory of the municipality of Saint-Estèphe.
The territory of the municipality is separated from the municipality of Saint-Seurin-deCadourne by the marsh drained by the ‘Estey de la Calupeyre’ to the north and the Lafite marsh drained by the ‘Jalle du Breuil’ to the south.
The soils on the gravelly hilltops are predominantly sandy-gravelly or clayey-gravelly soils.
In the western part, the hard limestone bedrock has an irregular covering of sandy-gravelly soils and shallow rendzina soils.
The wealth of localised sedimentary types is partly responsible for the diversity of landscapes and range of soil colours.
Local place names refer to both the hilly topography and the gravelly nature of the soils with names such as ‘Cos’ or ‘Pez’.
The ‘Saint-Estèphe’ controlled designation of origin is the northernmost of the controlled designations of origin linked to a specific municipality in the Médoc region and the second largest in terms of area.
Vineyards cover most of the hilltops in the municipal area, thus shaping the landscape.
The area is criss-crossed by a dense network of minor roads serving a number of hamlets.
These hamlets, such as Marbuzet, Blanquet, Pez, Leyssac and Saint-Corbian, are located around wine-growing chateaus.
The finest ‘crus’ can be identified by the splendid lone chateaus in the middle of their vineyards.
To the south and north of the municipality, the humid valleys, which form marshlands perpendicular to the estuary, contain pasture land and are wooded in places.
Finally, to the east, the gravelly hilltops under vines, which are a characteristic trait of the controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’, are very close to the estuary, thus reducing the areas of ‘palus’ to a strip 200 to 300 metres wide.
8.2.
Description of the human factors relevant to the link In the 13th century, Gui Martin de Saint-Estèphe, head of the Lesparre archpriesthood, was the Lord of Calon.
SaintEstèphe then began to be known for its ‘good vines’, which were already more profitable than cereals.
On the territory of what would later become the municipality of Saint-Estèphe, other lords’ domains formed the historical foundation of the hamlets, such as the domain of Blanquet or the vassal domain of Lassalle de Pez.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the ‘Saint-Estèphe’ tithe was the highest in the Médoc region.
However, according to history, the reputation of ‘Saint-Estèphe’ wines was closely linked to the activity of the Bordeaux merchants who aged and sold the wines.
The prosperous 19th century saw the establishment of today’s great estates.
Large, splendid chateaus dating from that time are testament to their prosperity, power and dynamism.
As with the other controlled designations of origin for wine in the Médoc peninsula, the ‘crus’ from the municipality of Saint-Estèphe have been recognised in the various classifications of estates drawn up since the 17th and 18th centuries.
Thus, the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines recognised five ‘crus’ in the municipality of Saint-Estèphe and the 1932 classification of ‘cru bourgeois’ wines awarded around 40 ‘crus’.
Today, almost half of Saint-Estèphe wines are sold outside the national territory, to Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands, or exported to the United States, Switzerland and Asia.
The controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’ was recognised by the Decree of 11 September 1936.
The winegrowing area produces an average of 65 000 hectolitres of still red wine.
The wines are intense red in colour.
They are usually produced from a blend of varieties in which Cabernet Sauvignon N is the main variety.
This variety gives the wines a robust structure rich in tannins.
The Merlot N variety often supplements the notes of spices with notes of red fruit.
The structure and complexity are reinforced by the Cabernet Franc N or Petit Verdot N variety; the latter can add freshness in the years of full maturity.
These full-bodied and powerful wines need to be aged for a number of years to give them roundness, fruitiness and finesse.
The quality and originality of wines with the ‘Saint- Estèphe’ controlled designation of origin can be traced back to the exceptional complementarity of the soil and the parcels’ topographical location near to the estuary, which protects the vineyards from climatic extremes.