Winemaker Notes
Chateau Bernard Magrez in St. Estephe is a small 8-hectare property that was acquired in 2016. The terroir benefits from soil-rich nutrients from the Gironde estuary and the vineyard is located on a parcel with 30 meters of elevation. The wines from this property are already attracting the attention of wine critics and wine lovers. Composed of 67% Merlot & 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, the nose of blackberry and black cherry fruit dominates this full-bodied, muscular wine. Black tea, leather, and vanilla mingle in the mouth. A hefty dose of oak means this wine will age well for 10-20 years. Aged 18 months, 35% new French oak, 10% clay jars.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
First vintage that I have tasted from this estate, purchased in 2006 by Bernard Magrez and renamed from Château le Peyre. Vinified partly in oak barrel, partly in clay amphora, this is polished and finessed but actually more restrained than perhaps I was expecting. A serious wine, with an emphasis on tightly-knitted cassis fruits. An absolutely beautiful whoosh of juicy menthol comes in from mid palate onwards, and a tight tannic crush on the finish that suggests this is going to age well. It's big shouldered, as all Magrez wines are, but this is a welcome addition to the St Estèphe landscape.
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James Suckling
Cloves, berries and dried flowers, such as lilacs on the nose, following through to a medium body with fine and firm tannins that run the length of the wine. Give it time to open, but it shows some finesse and refinement. Best after 2024.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Blackcurrants, new leather, damp earth, and tobacco notes all emerge from the 2019 Château Bernard Magrez. It's a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, still tight and backward 2019 that's going to need bottle age.
Barrel Sample: 90-92+ -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Bernard Magrez (from Saint-Estephe) features pronounced blackberry pie, crushed blackcurrants and redcurrant jelly notes with hints of pencil shavings, chocolate box, Sichuan pepper and cardamom. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly played and refreshing with loads of mineral sparks emerging from the lively black fruits and a rugged foundation of chewy tannins, finishing with a peppery kick.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.