Saint-Estèphe

san tess-TEF

How to read this

Capitals mark the stressed syllable. “an” is a nasal vowel: say it through the nose, with no n. The recording is the reference.

The northernmost of the 4 great communes, and the only one whose appellation stops at the commune line: gravel over clay and limestone, 5 classified growths and the most Crus Bourgeois of the 4.

The place

Saint-Estèphe is the last of the 4 famous communes going north, and the only one whose appellation stops at the commune line. The soils are sand and gravel or clay and gravel, with pebbles of 6 to 8 centimeters on average; in places a marine limestone comes to the surface or lies just under the gravel, and the limestone of Saint-Estèphe takes its name from the village, where it was first described. About 1,200 hectares, 7.5% of the Médoc, with 69 estates and a cooperative cellar of more than 80 members on 120 hectares, produce some 65,000 hectoliters a year.

The rules

Red only, from the 6 Médoc varieties, at 7,000 vines a hectare, 57 hectoliters with a ceiling of 63 and 11% of natural alcohol, raised until June 1 and released from September 1 of the year after the harvest. The plantings are 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the heaviest Merlot share of the 4 communes. The appellation dates from September 11, 1936; the cahier des charges in force, the appellation’s official rulebook, was set by order on October 26, 2021.

The names

Five growths of 1855: Cos d’Estournel and Montrose among the Seconds, Calon Ségur among the Thirds, Lafon-Rochet among the Fourths, Cos Labory among the Fifths. The pagodas of the Maharajah at Cos d’Estournel: we wrote about that here. The vineyard of Montrose, planted on woodland cleared in 1815: we wrote about that here. Below them, the classification of 2025 holds 9 Crus Bourgeois here and the Crus Artisans list of 2022 to 2026 holds 3; the bourgeois list of 1932 had named some 40.

Color: Red
Communes: Saint-Estèphe
Vineyard: About 1,200 hectares; 69 estates and 1 cooperative
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Carmenère
Density: 7,000 vines a hectare at least
Yield: 57 hectoliters a hectare, ceiling 63
Alcohol: 11% natural at least
Release: From September 1 of the year after the harvest
Classified: 5 growths of 1855
AOC since: September 11, 1936

Sources: FGVB, cahier des charges Saint-Estèphe, arrêté du 26 octobre 2021 · Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux · Maison du Vin de Saint-Estèphe · Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855

The stack

The same land in Saint-Estèphe may also be labeled Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur, Crémant de Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc and Pauillac. A grower chooses which appellation to sell under, and the narrowest is almost always the dearest.

The appellations of Bordeaux are stacked, not laid side by side. The map draws the whole stack. Open the map

The pyramid of names shows what each step promises: vines a hectare, bottles, ripeness, day of sale, grapes. Climb from here

Classifications that reach this appellation: The Classification of 1855, The Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, The Crus Artisans du Médoc and The Michelin Guide selection.

Terroir

A rock carries this village's name. About a century before the 1973 map, geologists described a limestone and its marls around Saint-Estèphe for the first time and named them after “the famous wine village.” The limestone settled on a calm, shallow sea floor, below the reach of low tide, and it holds large disc-shaped fossils.

Around the village the rock keeps out of sight. By the time of that map its outcrops there had practically disappeared, and it lies just under the gravel, in places beneath very red fossil soils. The measured map finds 54 hectares of it inside the appellation and 1,366 hectares in AOC Médoc to the north, where it comes into the open between Blaignan and Civrac.

Above it lies ice age gravel, coarse and full of big pebbles. People settled this shore early: every find made by then points to a Roman riverside and harbor settlement running from Lesparre down to Saint-Estèphe. The village kept the name; the north kept the stone.

1,555 ha delimited

Slope wash and cover16.4%
River and estuary deposits of today2.3%
Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles64.5%
Starfish limestone and marine marls2.4%
Lake limestones and clays0.6%
Older sea limestones and marls13.8%

Shares of the delimited area, measured on BRGM’s geological map, in families by the age and rock its legend prints, youngest first.

Half its delimited soil lies above 14 m, and 9 tenths lies between 5 and 23 m. 4.1% of it is steeper than 10%.

Measured section

The line runs 4.3 km, from 12 m to 3 m. Inside the delimited area it lies between 3 and 24 m.

Colors: Slope wash and coverRiver and estuary deposits of todayIce age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebblesOlder sea limestones and marls

Measured section: one elevation every 10 meters, west to east, along the whole of a 4.3 km line set across the appellation by a fixed rule, not chosen for the view (IGN, RGE ALTI 5 m), with the geology at the surface (BRGM, BD Charm-50). Heights stretched 20 times. The layers below the surface are not drawn.

The units, as BRGM prints them

Code	Name and age, as printed	Share
Slope wash and cover		16.4%
CFp	Formations superficielles	16.4%
River and estuary deposits of today		2.3%
FMy3-z	Schorre actuel et fossile de l'Estuaire de la Gironde, Pré-boréal à actuel	2.3%
Ice age river terraces: sand, gravel, pebbles		64.5%
Fvb(G)	Hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Martillac (type 2) indifférenciée et terrasse d'Arsac, Ménapien à Bavélien - "Gunz"	62.9%
Fva(G)	Très hautes terrasses (RG Garonne) - Terrasse de Léognan (type 1) indifférenciée et terrasse de Listrac, Waal - "Donau-Günz"	1.6%
Starfish limestone and marine marls		2.4%
g1-Ar	Calcaire à Archiacina, Rupélien marin	2.0%
	and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.4% in all
Lake limestones and clays		0.6%
	and 1 more unit under 1% each, 0.6% in all
Older sea limestones and marls		13.8%
e7b-G	Groupe de Plassac - Grès à Anomies, Priabonien moy. marin	3.2%
e7b-C	Groupe de Plassac - Calcarenite, Priabonien moy. marin	5.7%
e7a-Ce	Groupe de Plassac - Calcaires de St Estephe, Priabonien inf. marin	3.5%
	and 3 more units under 1% each, 1.4% in all

Informative figures, computed from INAO’s digitized parcel delimitation of October 12, 2026 and BRGM’s harmonized geological map (BD Charm-50); heights from IGN’s RGE ALTI 5 m. The plans held at the town hall are the legal reference. The delimited area is always somewhat larger than what is planted.

Sources: BRGM, Notice explicative de la feuille Lesparre-Médoc, Forêt-du-Junca à 1/50 000, 1973; INAO, Délimitation parcellaire des AOC viticoles (2026), laid over BRGM, BD Charm-50 Gironde, harmonized geological map.

Its soil, layer by layer · See it in 3D · See it on the Map · Compare it with another appellation · All about Terroir

Tastings

April 20, 2026 · 10

Bordeaux En Primeur 2025, Day 1

March 6, 2026

Pagodes de Cos 2016, Saint Estèphe

January 23, 2026

Château Cos Labory 2018, Saint-Estèphe

January 22, 2026 · 2

Pagodes de Cos 2016, Saint-Estèphe (Magnum)

January 21, 2026

Château Cos d’Estournel 2020, Saint-Estèphe

January 20, 2026

Château Cos d’Estournel 2010, Saint-Estèphe

News from Saint-Estèphe

Aug 31, 2026

Jérémy Cukierman takes the helm at Cos d’Estournel

Jérémy Cukierman has been appointed general manager of Château Cos d’Estournel in Saint-Estèphe, a role left vacant since Aymeric de Gironde departed in 2017. The estate announced the appointment during the 2026 harvest.

Source: terredevins.com Château Cos d’Estournel Saint-Estèphe The Vintage Estates and People
Jul 7, 2026

Sensory experience in Goiânia revisits the historic Bordeaux Classification - Zelo

In Goiânia on July 9, sommelière Emília Almeida will lead a tasting experience featuring wines from Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac and revisiting the Bordeaux Classification created in Paris in 1855.

Source: News Portal Margaux Pauillac Saint-Estèphe Saint-Julien Rules and Classifications History and Archives
May 8, 2026

Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: Saint-Estèphe wines ‘thrill’ in this vintage

Saint-Estèphe’s 2025 en primeur wines performed especially well and compared favorably with nearby Pauillac, according to thedrinksbusiness.com.

Source: thedrinksbusiness.com Pauillac Saint-Estèphe En Primeur and La Place The Vintage
Mar 26, 2026

Saint-Estèphe & Pauillac

Terre de Vins’ tasting team reassessed the 2023 wines being delivered from Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac after 2 years of élevage. Promising potential identified during primeurs was confirmed in some wines, while the vintage also produced more accessible successes than 2022.

Source: terredevins.com Pauillac Saint-Estèphe The Vintage En Primeur and La Place
Jan 27, 2026

Exclusive: Montrose Blanc

Decanter reveals Montrose Blanc, a small-production white wine from Château Montrose in St-Estèphe that revives the estate’s historical tradition of making white wine.

Source: reviving a Médoc white wine tradition Château Montrose Saint-Estèphe History and Archives
Jan 19, 2026

Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines

Decanter rounds up 14 best-value wines under £30 from Bordeaux and Burgundy. The selection spans multiple styles and includes Bordeaux regions such as St-Julien, St-Estèphe and Sauternes, plus some supermarket own-label options.

Source: decanter.com Saint-Estèphe Saint-Julien Sauternes Critics and Scores
Dec 9, 2025

Uncover hidden gems: Affordable Bordeaux and Burgundy wines for your Christmas feast

Decanter selected 14 Bordeaux and Burgundy wines for Christmas feasts, including sparkling, white, red and sweet styles from areas such as St-Julien, St-Estèphe, Beaujolais, Chablis and Sauternes.

Source: decanter.com Saint-Estèphe Saint-Julien Sauternes Wines to Buy