Best St-Estèphe 2024 wines tasted en primeur

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St-Estèphe 2024: The best wines punch way above the weight of the vintage with plenty of value picks

Average yield: 33.6hl/ha

Variance from 2023: -42.2% (51.5hl/ha)

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the top wines from St-Estèphe 2024

Vintage overview

Even in hot vintages, the northern Médoc appellation of St-Estèphe can still produce wines that are somewhat austere and tight in their youth so I was apprehensive of finding wines a little too rustic, highly acidic or severe given 2024’s ample rain and lack of sunshine.

However, there not only some incredible wines from St-Estèphe but a couple of wines that are highlights of the vintage.

Firstly, St-Estèphe had the largest yield of the big four Médoc appellations at an average of 33.6hl/ha although -29.4% on its 10 year average and 42.2% down from last year’s bumper crop of 51.6hl/ha.

Calon Segur for instance did 45hl/ha but had to temporarily pause their organic viticulture to protect grapes during flowering. For estate manager Vincent Millet 2024 was ‘all about decision making’.

He changed vinification with more infusion (allowing the grapes to macerate slowly in the juice without excessive intervention) and used 20% of press wine in the grand vin to build the mid palate.

Le Bosq had slightly lower yields at 35hl/ha but retained their conversion to organic with 30 treatments as well as heavy investments into caterpillar tractors to access their clay soils when waterlogged.

Phélan Ségur had to resort to manual spraying on three occasions to save their crop ending up with 30hl/ha. 2024 was the first year for the estate to have two vertical presses which covered 100% of production.

Cos d’Estournel managed yields of 30hl/ha, with ‘ripe Merlot harvested ahead of the September rains’ said technical director Dominique Arangoïts.

‘Our gravel soils were helpful in the end, they gave more ‘precocity’ to the vines – it ended up being early at the beginning and late at the end’.

A vibrating table was used to sort the berries, some of which were whole bunch fermented and skin contact was kept short.

A new wine

Montrose also kept its organic viticulture and used cover crops effectively to keep competition between the vine and grass for water. ‘We kept the canopy high and removed unripe grapes from the whole estate – the first time we’ve ever done this. It was unbelievable what we had to do,’ said technical director Vincent Decup.

The team used 100 harvesters to pick each plot at the right moment resulting in a yield of 38hl/ha. This year, the estate also debuted a new wine for en primeur tastings although it won’t be released EP.

Terrasse III is made from a Merlot-Cabernet blend but ‘Terrasse three and four Cabernets aren’t the same’, said Decup. ‘Terrasse three has gravel over sand, it has poor soil with less clay so the roots have to go deep. It creates long, nervous tannins with freshness and powerful energy,’ he said.

The wine was crunchy and amazingly vibrant with a rich texture but also lots of freshness. For those who like to delve further into the world of terroir nuance this is a great example.

Ever reliable, Phélan-Ségur produced an exceptional wine – fermented with 15 different indigenous yeasts taken from across the property.

And Le Boscq, Meyney, Lafon-Rochet and de Pez were all great – so there are plenty of value picks also from this appellation.

Standouts

• Château Montrose
• Château Cos d’Estournel

Highlights

• Pagodes de Cos d’Estournel (red and white)
• Château Phélan-Ségur
• Château Lafon-Rochet
• Montrose, Terrasse III
• Château Calon Ségur

Value

• Château Le Boscq
• Château Meyney
• Château de Pez
• Château Capbern
• Château Ormes de Pez

See the top-scoring St-Estèphe 2024 wines

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