Collection: Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion is the Right Bank's largest fine wine appellation, built around a medieval hilltop town that is itself a UNESCO site. Merlot leads, with Cabernet Franc alongside — not the Cabernet Sauvignon of the Médoc.

The style. Rounder, softer and approachable years earlier than Left Bank Cabernet blends of the same age. If young Bordeaux has ever tasted austere and drying to you, this is the answer.

A classification that actually moves

Unlike the Médoc's frozen 1855 list, Saint-Émilion re-ranks its estates roughly every ten years. Estates get promoted and demoted. The tiers, top down: Premier Grand Cru Classé A, then B, then Grand Cru Classé, then Grand Cru.

One caution: Grand Cru on a Saint-Émilion label is the broadest tier and is not the same as Grand Cru Classé. The wording is close and the difference is large.

In 2022 several major estates chose to leave the system altogether — which is why label wording can change between vintages of the same wine.