One of the famous six communes (alongside Listrac-Médoc, Margaux, Moulis, Pauillac and Saint-Julien) within the French Haut-Médoc region, which are appellations in their own right and are allowed to bear the commune name on the bottle label. It is the northernmost commune and covers around 1,380 hectares of vineyards just under 50 kilometres north of Bordeaux. The area is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the Médoc and dates back to the 13th century. Saint-Estèphe is located on the Gironde estuary and was an important harbour at the time.

Vineyards

The loamy subsoil over a layer of ferruginous stone consists of clay, loam mixed with stones and limestone. In addition to the dominant Cabernet Sauvignon variety, there is a relatively high proportion of Merlot. The tannin-rich, colourful, long-lasting red wines are characterised by more acidity than the other five.

Grand Cru, Cru Bourgeois & Cru Artisan

Saint-Estèphe is home to five of the 61 châteaux that were included in the Grand Cru list in the famous Bordeaux classification of 1855 (see the list under Médoc). These are Château Cos d'Estournel (2nd place), Château Montrose(Deuxième, 2nd place), Château Calon-Ségur(Troisième, 3rd place), Château Lafon-Rochet (QuatrièmeQuatrième Grand Cru Classé)4th place) and Château Cos Labory ( CinquièmeCinquième Cru Classé, 5th place). There are also many wine estates classified as Cru Bourgeois and Cru Artisan. These include Château Capbern-Gasqueton, Château de Pez, Château Haut-Marbuzet, Château Laffitte-Carcasset, Château Les Ormes-de-Pez, Château Meyney and Château Phélan-Ségur.

Map: By Domenico-de-ga from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Modifications from the original by Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer 2017