St-Emilion satellites 2015
Four communes north of St-Emilion are an excellent hunting ground for value, particularly in top Right Bank vintages like this one, reports Jane Anson
92 wines tasted While all four communes offered very good quality, Lussac was the stand-out performer
2015 was oNe of the rare years when Bordeaux’s oenology school, which releases detailed overviews of every vintage dating back to the 1960s, declared, ‘all five conditions necessary for a great red wine vintage in Bordeaux were perfectly aligned’. Now in bottle, we can judge what that means for quality – but we already saw what it meant for prices during en primeur, with almost every big estate posting a healthy (for them) price rise.
It’s these vintages where the smaller appellations should shine – something that sounds promising for the st-emilion satellites in a clear Right Bank vintage.
The four satellites of Montagne, Puisseguin, Lussac and st-Georges have had the right to use their commune names with that of st-emilion since 1921. They’re located to the northeast of st-emilion, with the Barbanne river separating them, and go as far as the slopes of Castillon to the east. The satellites in total cover 3,985ha across varied terroirs but with three main characteristics – slopes, plateau and foothills with mainly clay-limestone soils. Grape plantings are the same as in st-emilion, so about 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet sauvignon (with some spots of Malbec and Carmenère), and the average estate size is just 8ha.
similarities and differences
Land prices differ enormously once you step over the boundary from st-emilion to its satellites (we’re talking a difference of many million euros per hectare in some cases), and similarly the price-per-bottle potential in the satellites has a ceiling that you rarely find in the mother appellation. and yet the terroir has plenty of similarities, with mainly clay-limestone soils and some exceptional south-facing slopes, particularly in st-Georges and parts of Montagne. all four satellites ripen a little later than st-emilion as a rule – something that has meant their tannins have been seen to be a little more rustic and their acidities a little higher – but this same laterripening has also proved useful in recent vintages.
Potential sticking points might be that at these lower price points there is less grape selection, and in some cases 2015 did see blockages of the vines due to the hot summer, particularly on the loamy soils that you find in Lussac, or the sandier parts of the other satellites.
styles also vary widely, with winemaking often taking precedence over terroir, and I would expect to find that some estates have really pushed ripeness and oak. But I would also expect to find many excellent drinking wines that offer great value, and that should be ready to enjoy over the next five to 10 years.