Winemaker Notes
The Grand Vin of Calon Ségur mirrors its terroir. It is rare, authentic and stirs the soul. In the most natural way, it reveals both great delicacy and outstanding intensity. All the magic of Calon is in this balance. The wine is aged in new oak barrels for 20 months, the tannins of the oak integrating harmoniously over time with the tannins of the grapes. The style is brought by a Cabernet Sauvignon which expresses its finesse without arrogance. Elegance is to be found everywhere, in the purity of the wine's flavors, in the delicacy of its texture, while its depth and length are also superb. The wine's extraordinary ability to age many years in bottle is another feature of the estate.
Blend: 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Intense, perfumed aromas of graphite, blackberries, blueberries and stones follow through to a medium body with dried spices, tobacco, dried flowers and thyme. Typical on the palate as well. Structured and linear, with super length and tension. 72% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot, 12% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Give this four or five years. Try after 2029.
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Decanter
Sweet and fresh bramble berry notes on the nose. Some toast, liquorice, dark chocolate, tobacco, cedar and clove. Succulent and supple, this has a lovely energy and focus but with density and bite at the same time. Chalky, fleshy tannins fill the mouth but at the same time as a liquorice and slate flavour lingers on the cheeks. Both fruity and lean and straight at the same time. Not yet so harmonised, but there’s finesse and refinement to the expression and nothing feels out of place or too much. Has a juicy centre and a touch of sweet strawberries that lift the expression which is so pleasant. Ends clean and grippy. It’s very good and you can't fault the refinement, clarity and precision on show. More Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than last year at 72%. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 55% grand vin production. 3.7pH. 45hl/ha yield. Ageing 20 months, 100% new.
Barrel Sample: 96 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Calon-Ségur is another en primeur success for this resurgent Saint-Estèphe third growth. Wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, pencil shavings, wild berries and plums, it's medium to full-bodied, cool and layered, with a deep and integrated core, terrific concentration, lively acids and refined structuring tannins, concluding with a long, penetrating finish. It's a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot that checks in at 14% alcohol.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Vinous
The 2023 Calon Ségur is a wine for readers who can be patient. In many recent years, Calon Ségur has been quite showy, but this is not one of them. Bold acids and huge tannins dominate at this stage. Bright red-toned fruit is a signature, but the 2023 is a powerful, young Calon Ségur that will clearly need time to come together. Bright acids extend the finish beautifully. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Checking in as a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in 60% new oak, the 2023 Château Calon Ségur is a big, fleshy, opulent style of Calon that shows the riper side of the vintage. Its deep purple hue is followed by black and blue fruits, smoky tobacco, loamy earth, and graphite on the nose. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, round tannins and considerable baby fat at this stage, which is rare for a 2023. Give bottles 4-5 years to gain some harmony and elegance, and it should see its 30th birthday in fine form.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and winey, with a reserved persona as warmed plum sauce and cassis notes move slowly, showing flashes of alder smoke and black tea throughout. The finish offers admirable grip in the form of cast iron buried amid the fruit, letting this keep a polished and suave feel overall. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Deeply colored, concentrated, and distinctive, St. Estephe is the go-to for great, age-worthy and reliable Bordeaux reds. Separated from Pauillac merely by a stream, St. Estephe is the farthest northwest of the highest classed villages of the Haut Medoc and is therefore subject to the most intense maritime influence of the Atlantic.
St. Estephe soils are rich in gravel like all of the best sites of the Haut Medoc but here the formation of gravel over clay creates a cooler atmosphere for its vines compared to those in the villages farther downstream. This results in delayed ripening and wines with higher acidity compared to the other villages.
While they can seem a bit austere when young, St. Estephe reds prove to live very long in the cellar. Traitionally dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, many producers now add a significant proportion of Merlot to the blend, which will soften any sharp edges of the more tannic, Cabernet.
The St. Estephe village contains two second growths, Chateau Montrose and Cos d’Estournel.