Calon Segur is situated most north of any classified growths in Medoc. You will find it while passing Syndicat Viticole in the tiny village of Saint-Estephe on the left side of the road, and while seeing the big wall on the same left side around a property, you realize that you have just arrived at Calon Segur!
This property is one of the oldest in Bordeaux, and the wine's been made since the 12th century. The man who made Calon Segur famous was Marquis de Segur, who owned Latour, Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite. His nickname was Prince of Vines. Since the 20th century, a heart has been engraved on the label with a property name inside the heart.
Gasqueton family owned Calon Segur from 1894 to 2012. I visited Calon Segur first time in 1987, meeting Mme Gasqueton's husband, then, it took me more than 20 years to revisit the property, and it happened in April 2012. Mme Gasqueton was quite an eccentric proprietor and had strict rules about making appointments. I tried to visit Calon Segur several times before April 2012 with no luck. She died in September 2011, and her heirs, after a short attempt to continue to run the property, decided to sell it to an insurance company, Suravenir. Extensive modernization of wine facilities, renovation of the chateau, and makeover of gardens have been planned by new owners. A new vinification cellar with 70 stainless steel vats of different volumes and an aging wine cellar has been used since 2016. The renovated chateau itself was ready at the beginning of 2019.
The vineyard on hilly slopes covers 55 ha, of which 45 ha is in production. The whole vineyard is in one block inside the wall. It's planted with 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Vines are, on average, 22 years old. New owners want to increase the percentage of planted Cabernet Sauvignon and decrease the amount of planted Merlot in the coming years. The soil is typical Saint-Estephe, a thick layer of gravel with big pebbles on the top and clay as subsoil. The vineyard's close neighborhood to the Gironde estuary ensures a perfect microclimate and keeps frost danger away. Grand Vin matures in 100% new oak for 20 months.
The quality of Calon Segur has rocketed up a great deal since the 2015 vintage, but it was apparent already in the 2014 vintage that a significant improvement was on its way. More precision, focus, and care for details. Laurent Dufau (who arrived in 2013) and Vincent Millet (who came in 2006), general manager and technical director/winemaker, respectively, have been pushing this property up quality-wise. Calon Segur perfectly combines power, elegance, subtlety, and a strong backbone. For me, it's a typical St.Estephe wine with flair and character of the soil. It complements its two nearby competitors, Cos d'Estournel and Montrose, perfectly. Laurent Duffau left Calon Segur at the end of 2019, and from January 2020, it's Vincent Millet who is the general manager.
Sister property, Capbern (ex. Capbern Gasqueton), a Cru Bourgeois, managed by the same people, is often an excellent value for money, especially since the 2014 vintage.
The pretty garden behind the chateau in April 2014
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Laurent Dufau (left) and Vincent Millet (right) have taken Calon Segur to new heights.
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2022 (barrel sample) 98p
Tasted in April 2023. 70% C. Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 5% C. Franc and 1% P. Verdot. 15% alcohol. Big mouthful! Packed with luscious berries and fat tannin, great complexity, strong structure, bright acidity, splendid mid-palate, vibrant, superb balance, depth, and length. The high alcohol is kept quiet by cascades of creamy fruit and acidity. Stupendous effort.
2021 (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in April 2022. 81% C. Sauvignon, 11% C. Franc, 7% Merlot and 1% P. Verdot. 12.93% alcohol. 50% less Merlot in the blend. It displayed an elegant nose of black- and redcurrants, violet, graphite, and pencil. Great complexity, firm structure, fresh, vibrant, superb balance, depth, and length exist. Less opulent than in recent vintages but did compensate for that with a big brush of elegance and finesse. Excellent! Awe-inspiring effort.
2020 (barrel sample) 98p
Tasted in May 2021. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. 13.8% alcohol. This wine was less abundant than the monstrous 2018, and it’s 1% down on alcohol and a bit lighter and more classic St. Estephe. A classy nose of cigar box and forest floor. Touch of black winter truffle. Distinguished with a strong backbone. Potent with fat tannin, complexity, structure, length, and excellent acidity. Long-lasting finish. Tremendous effort!
2019 98+p
Tasted twice - last time in February 2022. Consistent notes. 73% C. Sauvignon + 14% Merlot + 12% C. Franc + 1% Petit Verdot. This property made a blockbuster wine in the 2018 vintage, and 2019 is very close to that effort. Similarly expressive and concentrated with stunning structure and length and sophisticated touch. Great display of St.Estephe’s soil characteristics. Among the best wines in this vintage, that's for sure!
2018 99p
Tasted three times - last time in December 2020. Consistent notes. 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The joint forces of Laurent Dufau (general manager since 2013) and Vincent Millet (technical director/winemaker since 2006) seem to have produced the best vintage at Calon Segur in the last 50 years. Beautifully scented nose, distinctive, precise, focused, stylish, elegant, and powerful simultaneously with excellent complexity, structure, and length. Once again, wow! 14.9% alcohol is well-covered by vast amounts of perfectly ripe fruit and tannin. Excellent acidity completes this masterpiece! Now in the bottle - it tasted as extraordinary as from the barrel in December 2020.
2017 (barrel sample) 96p
Tasted in April 2018. This property's been remarkably consistent for a long time, and its 2017 blend power and elegance excellently. Out of 76% of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2017 Calon Segur, 15% are ten years young vines. The remaining grape varieties are 13% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very potent, strong, tight, very complex, and aromatic. A stylish wine with elegance.
2016 96-97p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2019. Consistent notes. 60% C.Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% C.Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Very fruity and stylish, with great concentration, length, complexity, remarkable structure, and length. Awesome wine.
2015 (barrel sample) 96-97p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2017. Not consistent notes. 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. It was even better than I remember it from the barrel. Fresh, aromatic, potent, long, and with a persistent finish.
2014 94p
Tasted three times - last time in April 2017. Consistent notes. Excellent fruity nose of blackberries, strong structure, splendid complexity, and long finish. Impressive effort.
2013 (barrel sample) 91p
Tasted in April 2014. Aromatic, sappy, splendid structure and delicate complexity, and long aftertaste. Very attractive at the time of the tasting. The question is how long this wine will keep fine after the bottling. The weather conditions in this vintage were far from perfect.
2012 (barrel sample) 92+p
Tasted in April 2013. 78% C.Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 2% C.Franc. Flowery and aromatic on the nose with silky fruit and silky tannin, elegant with finesse. Splendid grip, structure, and length. Heartbreaker wine!
2011 (barrel sample) 92p
Tasted in April 2012. Tasted together with 2010 and 2009. Despite not having the ripeness, flair, concentration, and depth of the above vintages, it showed good vibes with an elegant approach, complexity, and nice balance. It will only improve after bottling.
2010 (barrel sample) 95p
Tasted in April 2012. Big, bold, fat fruit and tannin, great depth and length, rich and persistent finish. Combines perfectly power and elegance. A great future awaits!
2009 95p
Tasted twice - last time in September 2019. Consistent notes. Impressive wine with perfectly ripe fruit, full of sweetness, strong and elegant at the same time, sophisticated on the palate with a long finish. This vintage was characterized by high alcohol in Bordeaux, but it's not tasteable here, meaning it was perfectly integrated with fruit!!
2006 92p
Tasted in September 2018. Powerful with a clear mark of Saint-Estephe soil, delicate complexity, acidity, and length. Long and meaty finish. Splendid effort.
1946 90p
Tasted in December 2006. Powerful, juicy, strong, and quite full-bodied. An excellent effort in the context of the vintage, which is ranked low. At 60 years of age, this wine was still great to taste. Fine old wine.
1918 96p
Tasted in November 2018. Stand A/B. Chateau bottled. Dark color! Elegant and gracious on the nose, intense on the palate, with great acidity and long finish. Not precisely showing its age with remarkable freshness and complexity. Young and kicking! Real badass wine for a 100-year-old one!
A blast from the past