Saint-Estèphe (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t‿ɛstɛf]) is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for red wine in the Bordeaux region, located in the Médoc subregion.

Five classified growths of 1855 (Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés en 1855) are located within the appellation area.

While some châteaux increase the proportion of Merlot in order to make their young wines easier on the palate, others continue to grow a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon.

On arrival in the chai, the grapes are destemmed and crushed before being transferred to non-oxidizing[6][7] concrete[7] or wooden tanks.

The wine sheds are equipped with temperature-controlled tanks,[6] making it possible to direct the fermentation process by preventing temperatures from rising too high and then, at the very end, reheating the harvested materials.

This procedure is designed to maintain an environment in which the yeasts can efficiently transform the sugar into alcohol, and the colour (anthocyanins) and tannins can best be extracted.

Based on the outcome of this test of taste and smell, which takes into account grape variety and vintage, a decision is made as to whether or not the press wine is good enough to be included in the final blend.

The next step is to store the wine in a tank (or sometimes in a barrel[6]) at a temperature situated between 20 and 25 °C, which allows malolactic fermentation to take place.

At this stage the quality of each tank is assessed individually before small amounts from each batch are combined in test conditions.

Maturing a wine means storing it for long periods in cellars where the temperature is controlled and where it remains undisturbed apart from rackings that take place every three months.

When the harvest is of such exceptional quality that it does not need enriching at all, there is no upper limit to the naturally occurring alcohol content allowed.

[4] Considerable variations in terroir (the soil, weather conditions and wine-making traditions associated with a particular vineyard) mean that the wines produced differ according to the estates from which they originate.

"[8] Thanks to its powerful structure, Saint-Estèphe is a match for red meats such as roast rib of beef[9] or agneau de Pauillac à la cuisson de sept heures[10] (local Pauillac lamb cooked for seven hours according to a traditional recipe) or, once it has aged, for a truffle sauce or for furred game meats cooked in a marinade or when aged, with game.